The Courting of Bryn
by DistantLands7
Summary: "I give you permission to court me, to woo me if you will. Show me exactly how manly and romantic you can be." - A little series about Bryn & Doubar, Maeve & Sinbad and all the things one does in the name of love.
1. Ch 1 MJDai

_Dear reader,  
The fiction you are about to read has been co-written by Distant Lands members **MJDai** and **TiaKisu**._

_For Christmas MJ sent a little Doubar/Bryn ficlet to TK who - being a huge fan of them as probably you already know - squealed so hard that mirrors shattered and, unable to contain herself, wrote a little fiction in response. These first two works then marked the beginning of a game of tag which MJ, being for all intents and purposes a child, convinced TK to play._

_The result of this very game those two meddling kids started playing is what we have decided to share with you in form of this fiction. Each chapter thereby follows the previous one and the main content you will find is fluff, fluff, humour and... did we mention fluff?_  
_The first few pieces mainly focus on Bryn and Doubar, but as the series progresses you will find a lot of Sinbad & Maeve scenes, too._

_We hope you have as much fun reading as those two had writing the tags. (:_

_Disclaimer: __Neither Distant Lands nor MJDai or TiaKisu own the Adventures of Sinbad (if any of them did, the show would so not have ended after two seasons!). All rights belong to Ed Naha and All American Television. We just borrow the characters and return them after they have served their purpose. _

* * *

**The Courting of Bryn - Ch1**

Doubar stood at the tiller where Bryn joined him with Dermott on her arm.

"Would you look at that," he nodded towards Maeve and Sinbad at the prow, telling each other everything except the one thing that mattered.

"Do you think they'll ever get it together?" Bryn asked. Dermott flew off her arm; he was so not discussing his sister's love-life thank-you-very-much.

"Maybe if we fed them each a batch of truth serum or something... Have you got anything like that?" Doubar asked.

Bryn shook her head. "Besides, do you think they'd really last if we used trickery to get them together?"

"Everything in its own time, do you mean?" Doubar asked.

Bryn nodded, still looking at the pair on the prow. "They don't seem to realize how precious time is... I've lost most of it and it would hurt to know that I wasted even more."

Doubar looked at her, searching her face for some kind of clue to a deeper meaning in her words. "I really like you Bryn," he then blurted out, red-faced and without any finesse.

Her brow furrowed and she turned to look at him. "Like me how?" She asked.

"I like you like a red-blooded man likes a beautiful woman," Doubar said. "I know I'm no great catch, I'm old and tubby, but there you have it: I like you."

"I don't... You never... I always thought you had a girl in a port somewhere," Bryn stammered, obviously having trouble adjusting to this new information.

"Well I don't," Doubar said, it took every bit of courage he had to keep looking her in the eye instead of looking away in defeat.

"It's just, you're so sweet and kind, I figured there had to be someone," Bryn said, helplessly trying to convey something she didn't really understand either.

"Yeah that's me, just an overgrown teddybear. Look, if you don't feel the same, that's alright, I just wanted you to know," Doubar said fighting back a disappointed sigh.

"You've got to give me a moment to get used to this!" Bryn protested. "I guess I never looked at you like that, but that doesn't mean I never will... You know what, time _is_ precious, so let's do it!" She had gotten more excited the more she talked.

Doubar turned positively scarlet: "What, right now?"

Bryn looked puzzled for a moment, then laughed and elbowed him amicably. "I mean I give you permission to court me, to woo me if you will. Show me exactly how manly and romantic you can be," her eyes twinkled as she said it.

"Yeah?" Doubar asked, almost unable to believe his luck.

"Yeah," Bryn nodded resolutely.

"I'm going to sweep you off your feet you know," Doubar said, all kinds of butterflies flip-flopped around his belly but he felt pretty confident.

"I'm looking forward to it!" Bryn called over her shoulder as she walked away.

Her laugh reached his ears and lingered there a moment, like sweet music to his heart.  
Yes, this was going to be some courtship indeed! He'd show his little brother how to properly treat a woman who was worthy of being treated! Yes, he'd take his time, make elaborate gestures as well as small ones, show her exactly how much she was worth in his eyes and eventually she wouldn't be able to think of a single reason why she hadn't always been madly in love with him.

"Good plan," he congratulated himself, before re-focusing on his duties on the tiller.


	2. Ch 2 TiaKisu

**The Courting of Bryn - Ch2**

A week had passed already since their talk at the bow and almost Bryn suspected that Doubar had forgotten about his vow, or that maybe he now thought it a stupid thing to have agreed to. Maybe he had never truly meant what he had said, she started to think, but then on the evening of the eighth day, suddenly, someone knocked on the door to her cabin.

It was in the late hours already and after a long and work-filled day on land the crew had quickly retreated to have a good night's rest. Bryn herself had done the same, glad that at the moment they had no guest travelling with the Nomad and thus occupying her room instead of her.  
With a silent sigh she had just doffed her boots once inside so when she heard the sound of knuckles meeting wood at first she did not bother to show the visitor in.

"The door is open", she instead called with a weary voice, "Just come on in."

But nothing save a quiet creak of planks answered her.

"Maeve?" The name came from her lips as a question. The redhead had every now and then sought her out after the guys had gone to bed. It was one of the rare opportunities for the two women to talk about their companions and troubles that they could not quite burden the guys with. However, tonight it seemed the Celt was not the one who waited behind the door for instead of a reply there only came another knock.

Puzzled, Bryn finally got up and, still barefooted, crossed the small chamber until she stood at its wooden seal.  
Only a small moment did she hesitate until with a sudden move she yanked the door open. The petite brunette had not known what to expect once she would stare out into the hallway, but at least she would have thought somebody to meet her there. But all her eyes fell on was a bright red leaf that lay idly on the ground. From its shape and colour she could tell that it must have once belonged to a rose, a most beautiful one at that.  
Carefully she bent to collect the leaf when out of the corner of her eyes she noticed more like it lie just a few feet apart. Almost like a trail the petals lead from her cabin to further down the aisle.

Although for a moment she felt unsure about following it, the brunette finally decided that anyone who wished her ill would surely not rely on roses to guide her into a trap, especially not on a ship that was full of loyal sailors. And thus, after closing the door behind her quietly, she made her way down the hallway, feeling with each step she took how a frown imprinted itself more and more upon her face.

All around her the ship seemed silent as she wandered the empty hall. Here and there snoring could be heard from the larger rooms that adjoined to the corridor she took and it made her wonder all the more just what the purpose was of all of this. She did so until finally she reached the end of the track. Before her lay a particularly sturdy wooden door that creaked noisily when, cautiously, she pushed it open.

Inside she was greeted by the sight of candles lit, each of them placed on a plate of pottery so that there was no danger of the ship catching fire in the soft swaying of the waves.  
The room itself was rather small, if not to say tiny, but it held a certain warm atmosphere that Bryn decided she liked. In its middle she then noticed a large item placed and only when she stepped a little closer did she notice it was the wooden tub that she had seen Firouz work on one of these days. According to his mumblings something about it was still not working although she couldn't figure out what that could mean. In any case it seemed to be this very tub that was now placed in the centre of this spare storage room and which, much to her surprise, was filled with steaming water.  
Not only steaming but also glistening with a golden colour in the gentle flicker of the flames around.

"You like it?"

The voice was there all of a sudden and it had the sorceress jump slightly. To her right, half hidden from the opened door Doubar stood with an uncertain but still bright smile on his lips. His beard covered much of his cheeks but she was rather sure to see them bear the faintest hue of red.

"Did you…", she struggled to find the right words and eventually decided to start anew although the result of this attempt was not a better one.  
"This is for me?"  
The young one's voice was low. Her hazel eyes were opened wide, trying to take in every detail of what the man next to her had prepared.  
Now she also noticed that more rose petals covered the floor and that some even floated in the water. It was a magnificent sight she had to admit and in a way it humbled her that Doubar had made such an effort with this… bath. He had indeed prepared a bath for her. Not just any bath but an almost romantic one.

"For no one else."

When he answered her she tore her gaze from the room to look at him again. His blush had gotten more evident by now and for a reason that eluded her he had started to fidget with a small object that she recognized to be a sponge. The poor man really seemed to be rather nervous about his creation and somehow she found this endearing, maybe even cute. Still, as she saw him stand there before her she could not help the amused smile that formed on her face.

"So are you trying to tell me that I stink?"

Hardly could she fight back the laugh that threatened to erupt in her throat as she watched his face fall in reply to her comment. This was obviously something he had not even considered her to think and when he began to stammer in what was near to panic she laid a soothing hand on his right arm.

"It was a joke", Bryn then spoke with a sweet voice that showed her mirth before she sobered, "It's beautiful and to think that…"

Suddenly she halted in her speech. She had meant to tell him how much his action flattered her but in that very moment her eyes detected a small vial placed on the shelf behind the first mate and the finding silenced her. Her brows furrowing slightly she looked straight past the sailor before she reached out to inspect it further.

Enclosed by the glass was a liquid that seemed of a rich golden colour, much like the water in the tub but stronger than that. Gingerly she held the viol in her hands and just scrutinized it for a moment.

"Is that the bath supplement", she finally asked curiously and when Doubar nodded in confirmation she opened it carefully in order to try its scent.

Once the sweet flavour entered her nose she instantly understood that it was this that had made the room seem so soothing and special right from the moment she had entered it. A few times she sniffed then, concentrating on the fragrance and trying to figure out what it consisted of.  
It was on the tip of her tongue – the main aroma of the supplement. She had come across it before, once on a bazaar. It was an elder merchant who had praised it to her… the liquid gold.

As soon as she remembered her head snapped upwards and this time it was she whose face fell.

"Honey", she breathed disbelievingly, "It's honey."

Quickly then she turned back at Doubar, granting him her full attention again before she spoke: "This must've cost you a fortune."

"I had saved some money for entertainment on land-leaves." His reply was a little uneasy at first, but when a shrug passed his shoulders he seemed more content with what he said. "I figured I wouldn't really need that anymore so I searched for a better purpose. The market here is a really fine one and the merchant said that it was fit for a lady of noble birth."

He paused then for an instant as if this was plausible enough. Eventually though he opened his mouth again as if to go on. His whole face lit up then and he beamed at the sorceress in front of him.

"I told you I would sweep you off your feet."

For a second Bryn could do nothing else but blink. Barely an hour ago she had believed him to have forgotten about it, that his words had not been serious but just spoken out of a weird and passing mood.

She should not have doubted him.

While next to her Doubar suddenly shifted she still stared at him with a stunned expression. Quickly he moved to pass her by, at the same time handing her the sponge that she took from him rather absent-mindedly. Before he reached the door though, he bent his head a little and let a quiet whisper slip from his lips.

"If you like it then it is worth each and every Dinar I paid."

Not leaving her the chance to even respond to this he then stepped through the entrance and closed the door behind him, leaving it to the sorceress to seal it from inside.

Bryn did not really know just for how much longer she had then stood there, with the vial in one and the sponge in the other hand but when eventually her brain seemed to have processed this that had just happened she felt herself begin to grin widely.

She had given him permission to court her and to woo her if he wanted. Well, it seemed he was quite living up to what he had promised.  
A week ago she had told him that she was looking forward to it and so she did.

The young sorceress had the feeling that this was all but the only thing the first mate had in store for her and If this was indeed only the beginning … Yep, she definitely looked forward to what was to come.


	3. Ch 3 MJDai

**The Courting of Bryn - Ch 3**

Bryn and Maeve walked up the hill, away from the harbour together. Like any harbour it was filled with men who stank and had filthy mouths and even ickier intensions. The market was close by and they'd decided to peruse it.

"So what are you going to get the old bear?" Maeve asked her friend.

"He's not old!" Bryn protested and shook her head when she noticed Maeve's grin and knew she'd been goaded into just that reaction. "I don't know, a new turban perhaps? The one he has is so faded, something blue I think, to bring out his eyes."

"He gives you a romantic bath and you give him a turban? Doesn't seem an equal trade," Maeve scoffed.

"It isn't, it's not supposed to be. He is wooing me, I am showing him I appreciate it, that's all," Bryn said.

The entered the market, it was a big one: full of stalls exhibiting the most common and uncommon wares and people of all ilk milling about them trying to find the best bargains as well as tonight's dinner. A lyre-player started up a tune just behind them.

Bryn took it all in, the sights, the sweet sounds of the lyre mingling with the other market sounds, the hundred different smells that wafted about. This was a place full of life!

"I don't know where to start," Bryn admitted, her eyes shining as her body automatically adjusted to the powerful vibrancy of the crowd.

"Let's go in a circle all around, then we'll take a breather at the fountain in the centre," Maeve suggested.

Bryn agreed to her suggestion and stopped to look at a few stalls, but Maeve seemed to have ants in her pants because she just couldn't stand still for more than five seconds.

"We're being followed," Maeve eventually said, when Bryn called her out on it.

"What? By who?" Bryn asked, because it sounded more than a little ridiculous in a crowd of this size.

"The lyre-player, he's never more than ten feet away," Maeve said, eyeing him warily.

"Well, maybe he likes the look of you. Come on, I really want to find a gift for Doubar," Bryn tugged at Maeve's arm.

"It's not me he's constantly looking at," Maeve said. "Maybe you've got another admirer."

"Don't be ridiculous," Bryn said, but did send an inconspicuous glance over to the musician.

"I'm telling you, when it rains it pours," Maeve said.

"He's coming over!" Bryn hissed, a little panicked because she didn't know what to do.

"Good morning lovely ladies," the swarthy lyre-player said. "A man who is very impressed with your beauty has asked me to entertain you with music on your morning stroll and to give you this." Out of nowhere the man produced a white rose and handed it to Bryn. He then bowed, took a step back and started playing again.

Bryn stood rooted to the spot. Getting swept off her feet in private was one thing, for it to happen so publicly…

"Well that explains that," Maeve said, trying to sound like this was business as usual but noticeably moved.

"What do I do?" Bryn asked, because her brain refused to supply an answer.

"You enjoy it, of course," Maeve hooked an arm through Bryn's to support her friend and continued their circuit of the market.

"Excuse me dear. A fine young man asked me to give you this," and old woman stopped them and handed Bryn a yellow rose before moving on again.

Bryn took it and looked at Maeve for help once more, she just shrugged and grinned.

A mother with an infant on her hip found them at a stall selling jewellery. "You are so lucky!" she gushed and handed Bryn a deep pink rose. The infant clutched a pale pink rose in his chubby fist and would only let go when his mother distracted him with a biscuit.

"I am very lucky," Bryn nodded. "Though not as lucky as you," she said, cooing over the baby.

"You'll have many of these in the not too distant future," the woman winked at her and moved on again.

In quick succession Bryn got even more roses in all different colours. There was a dirty little street-child, a market-vendor, a whole gaggle of giggling teenage girls. There were mothers and fathers, business men and beggars, hasty shoppers and endless talkers. There seemed to be no end to the roses.

Maeve was acting like a lady-in-waiting and carrying most of the actual blooms while Bryn busied herself with accepting them when they finally completed the circuit of the market. There the rose-givers dropped off and they could finally make their way to the fountain to get their well-deserved break.

And there the crew stood, in a single line all with a rose in their hands. One by one they pressed the blooms into her hands and gave her a kiss on the cheek before standing aside until only Doubar was left, holding the only red rose.

Bryn turned to Maeve and gave her all the remaining flowers in her hands before going up to Doubar.

"You've given me a magical day," Bryn said, unsure why there were tears in her eyes.

"I wanted you to see how special you are," Doubar said, his voice gruff in a way that sent tingles down her spine.

Bryn could think of nothing to say to that so she pressed her lips to his in a gentle, chaste kiss before ducking her head and blushing furiously. Unable to believe she had just done that in front of the entire crew and all those watching eyes of the market-goers.

Doubar slung a casual arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to his side, sensitive to her embarrassment because he'd been manfully suppressing his own this whole time. "Want to go for a walk? Get some air?"

Bryn nodded, clutching her red rose close, happy to find him so sensitive to her needs. As they walked away they heard Sinbad and Maeve quibbling:

"Are you crying?" Sinbad asked, obviously surprised.

"What? That was romantic! I'm a girl, of course I'm crying!" Maeve angrily responded.

"You're not _that_ girly," Sinbad pointed out.

"I'm plenty girly! You're just a blockhead who can't recognise a real woman when she's standing right in front of you!" Maeve said.

"What? That's just-" Sinbad spluttered. "Here just give me some of those roses, you look stupid carrying them all around."

"No Sinbad don't-"

"Ouch!"

"They have thorns! And you have no sleeves!"

"Like your sleeves are so thick!"

"I took precautions this morning,"

"This morning? But this was a surprise!"

"How do you think Bryn got to the market? How did she know exactly what route to take? How did she know to end up here?"

The argument likely lasted a while longer, but Bryn and Doubar were thankfully well out of earshot by then.


	4. Ch 4 TiaKisu

**The Courting of Bryn - Ch 4**

Bryn sighed deeply as she crossed the deck, aiming for the galley.

As much as she liked being part of this ship's crew, she could never quite get used to the nightly shifts. If the chance presented itself she avoided them, knowing how tiresome they usually were. But tonight she had not been able to get away from duty.  
They would anchor in this port one more day and each night they spent in the docks required guards to be on alert. It was not that Sinbad distrusted the people of these lands; it was more a general sense of precaution that had him assign two of his sailors to keep watch while the others could take a well deserved rest.

With her tonight there was Ahmed, a fine young man who had been with the crew for several moons already. He knew to pull his weight onboard and showed great interest in anything that concerned captaining a trading vessel. One day, Bryn was sure, he would command his own crew and ship but until then he was glad to have found work on the Nomad.

With a good natured smile the brunette turned her head back at him before she descended the few steps to the door that lead below deck.

Ahmed took night shifts much easier than she did. Sometimes he even hummed with contentment when the night was an exceptional beautiful one. Almost it seemed as if the young sailor preferred these calm and rather lonely times over the busy days on land. He even had readily agreed to take watch on his own for a little while so that Bryn could stop by at the galley and grab something to eat. For a reason she did not know she always grew hungry when the late hours of the night were fading to soon be replaced by the dawn, no matter whether she had had a rich dinner or not.

Replying her smile, Ahmed nodded at her from where he stood near the Tiller and so she continued to make her way silently down the stairs.

Inside the hull it was fairly dark. The galley was illuminated by nothing but the faint light of a waning moon and the few lanterns that were lit on deck. Shadows followed her wherever she went but they did not unsettle her. This ship had been her home for so long now and instantly she felt a little warmer when the wooden scent of the Nomad surrounded her.

Back in her early days onboard she had needed to bring a candle with her whenever she went down here in the night but by now she knew her way even in the dark. Swiftly she passed the large table in the middle and then headed for the far side of the room. There, where several doors lead to chambers of various sizes Firouz' little kingdom was seated. While he preferred to work on his inventions either on deck or in the guys' sleeping quarter, the little chamber was where he pursued his passion for cooking. Herbs and bread were usually stored there, as were any fresh fruit if they had bought some during their land-leave.  
Tonight it was the bread she was after. Anyone on night shift was allowed to seek out what was the equivalent of a kitchen in order to grab something to eat as long as they did leave the room tidy.

For a moment Bryn allowed herself to linger in the dimly lit galley before she walked closer to the little room, thinking of the past days and what Doubar had done for her. Both the bath and the spectacle on the market had impressed her more than she had yet found the courage to tell him. And almost did she feel she did not deserve all this. When the day before an endless cue of people had brought her roses wherever she went she had felt like a princess and this experience made for a stark contrast to her life onboard.  
Did he really think her so beautiful and precious? Did he really see a lady beneath the sailor?  
And if that was so then what about her - what did she see in him?

It was a forlorn breath that escaped her lungs as she pondered the question, and then her eyebrows rose. The latter did not happen because of her musings though but rather because of a rustling that came from within the little chamber. It sounded like pots rattling and shortly after a hiss travelled through the night.

"For Allah's sake! Why must this be so difficult?"

The voice was muffled quite a lot by the closed door and the owner of it seemed to make sure to tone it down, too, but still the words were rather well comprehensible.

Curiously then Bryn approached the door, feeling her face show a puzzled expression when she opened it and found… Doubar inside.

The first mate stood bent over the narrow table that was placed in the centre, various kitchen utensils distributed all around him while he fumbled rather awkwardly with two small pots that evidently contained pepper and salt – something that was obvious thanks to Maeve's labeling of the jars which had become necessary after it had happened repeatedly that their salt had been mistaken for what little sugar they had onboard. Bryn still shuddered at the memory of "sweetened" pineapple that Sinbad had once prepared for them but she quickly shrugged that off. After all, what interested her most at the moment was Doubar's reason for being here.

"You hungry", she finally asked with a calm but also slightly amused expression.

The moment her words travelled the little distance, the first mate instantly tensed. His back straightened and he turned around to face her with surprise in his eyes.

"Bryn", he then half-gasped, "What are you doing here already?"

His remark made her frown.

"What do you mean "already"?"  
She was genuinely perplexed now and when she shifted her gaze a little that feeling increased even more for what it fell on was a neat display of fruit, bread and cheese.

"You usually don't come down here before the first cries of the gulls can be heard."

His reply came quickly and it held a certain irritation to it that spoke of something important ruined.  
Just a second longer she simply took the scene in front of her in and then suddenly it dawned on her.

"Doubar, did you get up to make me a nightly snack?"  
She almost couldn't believe the conclusion she, herself, had just drawn so when he looked away a little sheepishly she could hardly restrain herself from gaping at him open-mouthed.  
He must have memorized her little habit from the few times that they had shared the shift together. And now he had really resigned on his own sleep in order to make her this. While she would be able to retreat to her cabin in the morning he would have to stay awake and help loading the ship with the last of their new cargo. He would be dead tired but here he stood, trying to make something special for her and even spicing cheese and fruit. Unfortunately for him though fate had been cruel enough to bestow upon him an almost remarkable incapability when it came to preparing food of any kind. For someone who enjoyed a good meal quite as much as he did it was tough not being able to prepare a tasty dish, especially after Firouz had spent countless hours trying to teach him at least a few basics without any success. Still, now he stood in front of her, trying desperately to create something that she would like.

She could not help but love him for that.

"What did you want to do with the salt and pepper?", she finally asked him with a tender voice while she closed the door behind her to stand next to him.  
His shoulders sank in frustration while he lifted the two jars.

"I wanted to make that mixture of fruits that you enjoy so much", he quietly admitted in defeat after a while, "You know, the one that Firouz sometimes makes."

The first mate's pale blue eyes lay on the cut pieces of fruit that he had arranged in a wooden bowl and it was obvious he was at a loss of how to continue.  
The expression on his face reminded Bryn a tiny bit of a lost child and when eventually she moved to take the spice from his hands she could not fight the small laugh that escaped her lips.

"Then I suggest we better take a bit of the sweet herbs instead of salt."

The chuckle that lay in her words sounded through the little room and although for a moment Doubar had felt terribly self-conscious for his almost ruining of the fruit he soon felt a smile tug at his own lips.

He might be a failure at cooking but as he saw Bryn reach over to take two of the jars containing the precious herbs he didn't think that so much of a disadvantage anymore. While she told him with a sparkle in her eyes just how things had be done he reveled in the peace of this moment.

His plan had not quite worked out the way he had anticipated but as he stood there next to her, listening to her melodic voice he decided that he wouldn't have wanted it any other way.


	5. Ch 5 MJDai

**The Courting of Bryn - Ch 5**

"Alright, just focus. Feel the magic run through you, just guide it to where you-" Maeve was trying to help her fellow apprentice with some of the basics but was not really succeeding.

"Ack!" Bryn exclaimed as the power burst forth from her all on its own.

The mast started sprouting branches.

Sinbad looked like they'd grown another head. "Fix this!" Was the only order he managed to get past his lips. There were some other words he would like to hurl at them but he'd been taught never to say those things to women. Even annoying ones who were in the process of turning his ship into trees.

"Told you it was an evergreen!" Maeve smugly told the captain.

"He'd been assured it was an oak and the oaf believed him," Maeve explained to Bryn.

Bryn looked sick. "How did I?" she made a vague gesture towards the still sprouting mast.

"No idea, but once the captain realizes that this means we'll never have to stock up on firewood again, he'll love you forever," Maeve shrugged, clearly not as bothered by this accident as Bryn was.

"No, the captain will not. I will be happy to stock up on firewood if it keeps my mast's structure intact, the lines untangled and the sails manageable, not to mention that we'll be a laughingstock in every harbour we dock at with a mast like this," Sinbad appeared just behind Maeve, clearly not amused.

As this was clearly going to be a long and hot-headed discussion between the two Bryn wandered off, still feeling miserable about her failure.

.

Her cabin smelled like a rose-garden and looked like one too. The roses had kept fairly well and always seemed to perk up when she was near. Only the one red rose didn't sit in one of the vases, she'd hung it upside down in a corner, wanting it to dry out so she could keep it as a memento, together with the little vial of honey-based bath oils.

She sat on her bed and buried her face in her hands. Her body clearly remembered something, her magic certainly had its own pathways! Why couldn't she just…

Someone knocked on her door, Bryn quickly wiped her eyes and put on a smile before opening it.

"You looked like you needed a friend, maybe a shoulder?" Doubar said.

"Come on in," Bryn stood aside and motioned him over to the bed- the only place to sit in the tight quarters.

She sat down next to him, took one of his hands in both of her own and leaned her head against his broad shoulder. Then she started to talk.


	6. Ch 6 MJDai

**The Courting of Bryn - Ch 6**

"I don't know what you're doing all this for," Sinbad said, sitting down next to his big brother at the dinner table.

Doubar sat hunched over some lengths of rope tied in intricate knots and pieces of paper on which he painstakingly drew directions on how to tie the various knots.

"Bryn wanted to learn more about sailing, I thought knots would be a good start," Doubar supplied, not looking up from his work.

Sinbad picked up one of the finished pages, letting his eyes wander over the instructions as he said: "I mean, this whole production, I think she's gotten the message by now."

"She got the message before any of this. I told her I liked her," Doubar said, still concentrating on his work.

"So… What exactly are you getting out of this? She knows you like her, she's making your jump through hoops trying to prove it and you get nothing," Sinbad said.

"She's not making me do anything, I asked her permission to woo her and she granted it," Doubar said, getting a little annoyed at his little brother.

"Yeah but why? You've only got one tiny little kiss after you orchestrated an entire town to ply her with roses, I got a better one out of her without even trying!" Sinbad said, apparently suffering from foot-in-mouth disease.

Doubar dropped his pen, closed his eyes and counted to ten while taking deep breaths. "Sinbad," he finally said, once he'd regained his calm and opened his eyes, "you're the type of guy who likes to kiss a hundred girls a single time. I'm the kind of guy that likes to kiss a single girl a hundred times."

Sinbad was about to make a smart-ass remark but refrained, figuring Doubar probably wouldn't appreciate it right now.

"Bryn's special, alright? But she's lost, alone, afraid… Just think about it, she doesn't know who she is, the first year of her stay with us every time you looked at her you wanted her to be someone else- someone she couldn't be… I want to let her know that I like her for her, that I know her even without knowing her past, that she belongs here and that I'll always be here for her. So that's what this whole production is about. I don't care what I get out of it right now, I am playing for keeps," Doubar said, looking his little brother in the eye.

Though he felt chastened Sinbad didn't let it show for more than a few seconds, he jumped off the bench and clapped his big brother on the back. "Well my brother, I approve. Bryn's a lucky girl to have you looking out for her," he said.

Doubar was about to respond when Maeve wandered in, nibbling on hard-tack. "Oh, you're teaching her about knots? That's so romantic!" She exclaimed. "Can I help?"

"Romantic? Practical, sure, but romantic?" Sinbad said, clearly confused.

Maeve sighed, rolled her eyes t'wards the heavens and pulled a long-suffering face. "Besides teaching her more about a shared activity, namely sailing, he is also giving a statement of intent."

"What intent?" Sinbad asked, still confused.

"To tie the knot you dolt!"

Bryn, finished with her task of sorting various nuts in the storeroom took this moment to slip back to the deck unseen. She'd heard everything Sinbad and Doubar had been talking about and she'd liked what she'd heard.


	7. Ch 7 TiaKisu

**The Courting of Bryn - Ch 7**

It was in the middle of the night when Bryn awaked from her dreams. Her heart was racing and her breath came in gasps as her velvet eyes stared into the darkness.

Again they had haunted her. Nightmares that would poison her sleep and leave her trembling. She's had them ever since she can remember, had them since she the day she found herself trapped on Cayman's isle.  
Usually they came to her randomly – sometimes months could pass before she encountered them again and sometimes they struck every night for several days in a row. They differed in their content, too. Some were vague scenarios filled with shadows and the distant feeling of being lost and alone while others showed her a world she never wished to enter.

Tonight she had encountered a particularly bad one.

The screams still echoed in her ears even as she sat wide awake in her bed, her hands clutching her blanket like a lifeline. Women, children and men. Young and old. They were falling to an evil she had not been able to see. She had been part of the crowd and yet had only watched, helpless and petrified.

Bryn's head sank as she fought the tears that welled up in the corners of her eyes. She didn't know what those dreams were supposed to mean for her. Whether they were merely her way of dealing with what they had heard and sometimes seen in those many countries they travelled to, or whether it were images of something she believed lost to her. Whether it were pictures of her past. But she feared them, feared them more than she did anything else and deep inside she prayed for her dreams to be nothing but illusions brought about by slumber and the night.

It was a shuddered sigh that eventually left her throat while she raised a shaking hand to cross her line of vision. She was tired, so very tired. The day had been exhausting – a rough sea had required everyone on deck to help to the best of their ability and the young brunette felt her body demand its rest and the chance for recuperation. But here, alone in this cabin, she would not find sleep again – not with the tremors of her nightmare still lurking at the edge of her consciousness. And so she resolved to do the only thing she could think of in that moment.

oOoOo

When she entered the guys' sleeping quarters she felt herself hesitate for just a second. She had come here barefooted, with her blanket wrapped about her delicate body, her amber nightgown but a shadow in the dim light below deck.  
Around her the men slept peacefully as she made no sound. To her right Doubar's cot was situated and she felt herself linger in front of it, unsure of what to do.

Just a couple of days before she had heard him tell their captain how he wanted to show her he would always be there for her, that he cared. She wanted to believe him, she _did_ believe him but still she hesitated. She could not burden him with this, with her dreams and her pain. No, she would return to her cabin and fight her demons herself. It would be the better choice for all of them.

Thus she turned around, soft feet touching the wooden planks cautiously before suddenly behind her a blanket rustled.

"Bryn?"

His voice was sleep-laden and rough, filled with confusion and the attempt to decide whether he was facing dream or rather reality.  
For a moment she stiffened, regretting having even come here. Maybe if she would just stand still enough he would dismiss her form to be a guise of the night and return to slumber, but he did no such thing.  
Obviously sobering he soon after raised on his bed, peeking through the dark and addressing her worriedly.

"Is everything alright, little one?"

She could feel him reach out to her, his fingers hovering in the air mere inches away from her. Slowly then she turned around to meet his pale blue eyes. Not daring to speak just yet she stared at him from where she stood until, eventually, her head shook almost invisibly.

Instantly his muscles tensed she noticed, his brain sorting out different dangers that could have sent her here in the middle of the night. But she seemed not to have been in battle or in pain, just frightened. And then, as he watched her deep brown gaze, he understood.

"Another nightmare?"

It was but a whisper, a breath on the air, but it reached her clear and loud. Her shoulders tensed at it, confused as to why he knew. She had mentioned them to him once, but she had made sure to not sound troubled by them – to not appear weighed down.  
It seemed she could not fool him as easily as she had thought.

Again, she did not reply but with a gesture. A nod passed her features, forlorn and defeated, before her heart made her ask of him what her mind would have never dared to.

"Can I stay here?"

For a heartbeat he just looked at her, surprised and perplexed by her words but just when she started to fear he would send her away he shifted under his covers, making room for her.  
His back was now resting against the wall while his bed was half empty. Silently, Bryn settled down next to him, hiding her fragile form in the blanket she had brought from her own cabin.

Face to face they lay in the dark, each of them wrapped in their covers and listening to the quiet murmurs of the waves until Doubar's voice reached her in another whisper.

"You wanna tell me of it?"

His concern was evident in every syllable he spoke and yet Bryn could do nothing but shake her head once more. She did not want to face the images again, to share what her dreams made her see. She couldn't tell him of them.  
Not yet.

Instead, she reached out for the hand that lay idly between him and her and cupped it with both her hands. Her velvet eyes glistened slightly in the dark with unshed tears and it had the first mate's heart go out to her. Gently he squeezed the tender fingers that enwrapped his own before he smiled at her encouragingly.

"Whenever you feel ready for it, I will be there."

He really meant it, she knew. Drawing the warm hand closer to her, she breathed in deeply, feeling how for the first time since she had awaken from her dreams, her heart slowed down again. Here, in the presence of the one who had offered her a home right from the start, she finally felt safe.

Bryn clung to the warmth that seemed to radiate from him and she reveled in the safety he was willing to give without asking anything in return.

"I know."

Her voice was low, barely audible even in the quietness of the night. But it travelled the short distance securely, instilling a feeling in Doubar's heart that warmed him from within.  
While next to him he heard Bryn's breathing deepen and felt her fingers relax, he smiled into the dark. When in the morning the guys would awake and find them sharing a bed… oh, he would never hear the end of it he knew. But for some reason he cared not about the teasing he was going to have to endure, did not mind his brother paying him back for all the little remarks that the first mate himself had once dealt out for he knew that she was all worth it – and more.

While around them the night was slowly waning he drifted off to sleep again as well, offering Bryn a light in the dark and a refuge when her dreams came haunting her. And she accepted it gratefully, grasping his hand even in her sleep, the two of them lying like this in perfect harmony even when the first light of day touched the sea…


	8. Ch 8 MJDai

Bryn woke up with Doubar spooned against her back, one of his arms slung protectively around her waist, keeping her from falling out of the narrow bed. She felt warm and safe, the nightmares had stayed away.

She became aware of a pair of eyes watching her.

"It's almost shift-change," Sinbad whispered from his hammock, his blue eyes innocent and unassuming, still Bryn felt the need to defend herself.

"We weren't…" she said, her voice soft and low.

"You're good for him," Sinbad said.

Bryn had always known Sinbad loved his brother but in this dark, whispered conversation she could read it on his face and hear it in his voice. Right now, in this moment, Sinbad was happy because his brother was and that was all he wanted.

Bryn slipped out of bed and quietly rushed back to her own cabin, getting caught by the crew now would be embarrassing.

oOoOo

"So…" Maeve drawled, wandering into the galley and finding Bryn with her nose in a book. "Is it true?"

"Probably," Bryn said, not caught that easily.

Maeve dropped onto a stool across from her friend. "Come on, it's all over the ship! You have to tell me."

"Hmm," Bryn made a vague humming sound, trying to come across distracted by her reading.

Maeve plucked the book from between her hands with a cheeky grin.

"Hey!" Bryn exclaimed, making an unsuccessful grab for the book.

"Did you end up in bed with Doubar last night?" Maeve asked, holding the book out of reach of the shorter sorceress.

"Who told you that?" Bryn asked, opting to cross her arms and look cross rather than jump after the book and look like a child.

"Well as far as I know Mourad told Rongar who told Firouz who told me, and trust me, ending up in bed together is the mildest way to put what I heard," Maeve said, still grinning widely.

Bryn groaned, she could only imagine the embellishments the story would go through as it made the rounds through the ship. "So what you're saying is that by tomorrow the whole ship will think I've had a... a roman orgy with the entire day-shift," Bryn said.

"Basically," Maeve nodded. "So what really happened?"

"I had a nightmare and he comforted me," Bryn shrugged, leaning back in her seat, thinking furiously on how to fix this.

"And by comforting you mean…" Maeve wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Maeve!" Bryn protested only to receive giggles as an answer. "You're incorrigible."

"Don't worry so much, this will blow over," Maeve said, putting the book back on the table.

"Sure, I'll be an old crone by then, but it'll blow over," Bryn said.

"Shhh, do you hear that?" Maeve said, tilting her head and straining her ears.

Bryn followed her friend's example and heard what was going on up on the deck.

"I don't mind you taking pot-shots at me, I'm used to your filthy minds! But if I hear any single one of you pester Bryn about this I'll have your hide!" Doubar bellowed across the deck.

"Come on Doubar, you know we're only poking fun!" someone else said.

"Yeah well, don't poke fun at Bryn!"

"That boy's got your back," Maeve commented.

"I know," Bryn said, no longer embarrassed.


	9. Ch 9 TiaKisu

**The Courting of Bryn - Ch 9  
**

It was an audible breath that escaped Bryn's lips as she leaned against the reeling, watching thoughtfully how the day-shift was busy stirring the Nomad safely through the open seas.  
The weather though grey and rather gloomy was fine enough and the waves were friendly, allowing the ship to go at a pleasant speed.

Most of the sailors on deck had at least a content expression on their faces, some where even smiling to themselves while Bryn's forehead lay in wrinkles. Two days ago she had sought Doubar in the middle of the night when terrible dreams had woken her from her sleep. She had vanished in the morning, leaving the first mate without even as much as a whispered word. The young sorceress had done so in order to spare them any gossiping but much to her dismay this plan had failed. The whole ship was talking and she knew it.

She knew albeit none had ever addressed her about it, save Maeve who could not contain herself. But no sailor, not even the guys had even done as much as mention the incident when she was around. They treated her perfectly normal, never making fun of her – not even when she knew it would have been in a good natured way.

So her own situation wasn't what troubled her.  
It was Doubar's.

Each time the guys held back they made up for it later when it was just them and their first mate.  
He was the one who had to endure it all and she felt guilty for having put him into this. It was her who had asked him whether she could stay and it was her who had come to him in the first place. Had she managed to deal with her demons alone he would not have to face his friends' mirth right now -making it unnecessary for her to have such a bad conscience when instead she should feel all happy about all the things he had said and done already during his quest of courting her.

She had to make up for it, apologize at least.

As soon as this thought had infested itself in her mind she left the prow behind, drawing her cloak a little tighter around herself while she made her way to the tiller where Doubar was currently having his shift.

While she walked over to the first mate she was sure to physically feel all the amused glances that lay on her.  
Rarely had she been this self-aware before. If to anything the feeling only compared to the one she'd had during her first days onboard, when just like now everyone had watched her steps, waiting for what she would do. But unlike then she was no stranger anymore. She was part of the crew and she harboured misgivings that this was just the problem about it all. Any random damsel who was gone the next morning would for sure not have been worth even mentioning but she on the other hand … she would stay and any approach of hers would fuel the rumours and provide endless entertainment to the male part of the crew.

_Allah save us_, she thought to herself with a defeated sigh, _I have doomed us both._

When finally she had crossed the deck and reached the tiller, Bryn released a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. Behind her everyone was doing their routine, taking no notice of the two figures at the rear it seemed, but she knew they all were stealing glances into their direction whenever they deemed themselves safe from being caught doing so.

"Bryn! To what do I owe the honour of your visit?", Doubar's voice greeted her as soon as she reached his spot. While before he had scowled slightly he now smiled brightly at her, his voice bearing nothing of the annoyance she was sure he must've been feeling.

"I came to apologize", she replied truthfully, allowing only a small smile to grace her lips before she went on calmly. "I… I shouldn't have put you into this…", she flailed her arms in a forlorn gesture, pointing vaguely towards the centre of the deck, "this situation. And I wanted you to know that I'm sorry about it all."

Her eyes lay on him for a second then, scrutinizing him and searching for any hint as to how he would take her words. Much to her surprise he frowned deeply, his pale blue eyes narrowing slightly at the same time.

"Sorry? About what?", he finally spoke and it was easy to hear he was irritated and… amused. "The guys having a little fun on my account?"  
A shrug passed his shoulders before he continued casually: "I always knew this day would come. I have done my share in making fun of Sinbad when Maeve came onboard so I guess it's only fair that he pays me back. As long as they're unloading it all on me I really couldn't care less."  
Suddenly then he shifted and a worried tone wound itself into his voice when he carried on.  
"But if they start plaguing you then I'll give them a piece of my mind. They have not bothered you, have they?"

By the time he had said the last few words his expression had shifted into one of honest worry and it caught Bryn off-guard. Even after two days of being at the mercy of his friends his only concern was still that she be spared.

"No they haven't", she started but found she could not hold back from asking him, "You really don't mind? None of this?"  
She sounded baffled and that she was indeed.

"Why should I? I know my brother and I could have sent you back to your cabin, avoid the gossiping and all."

"But you didn't."

His smile widened upon her statement.  
"No, I didn't", he said, and before she could even start and ask him for the reason why, he turned slightly to capture the whole of her gaze.  
"I didn't because even if I cared about the foul imagination our friends possess I would care more for you. And I'd rather endure them poking fun at me for days on end than turn you down. As easy as that."

His cheeks burnt with a reddish hue while he confessed this truth to her and she could not help the heat that was ascending to her own head upon hearing it. She knew she might just regret this later, but as he looked at her with this honesty in his eyes she couldn't help herself.  
For the second time since she had allowed him to show her just how much she meant to him she leant forwards and ever so gently brushed a light kiss across his lips. His beard tickled her soft skin but she even found she liked the sensation.

"Sinbad was wrong", she then mumbled when carefully she broke apart from him, "it's not me who's good for you."

Her velvet eyes sought his own for a second before she grinned at him.  
"It's the other way round."

And with this she quickly stepped away, leaving these words linger in the air while she watched how Doubar's face split with the hugest smile she had ever seen on it.

Behind her quiet murmurs started to explode, mixed with the occasional chuckle or even muffled cheer. But she held her head up high as she returned to the spot at the prow that she had occupied earlier, smiling contently to herself. Most likely Maeve would pester her about what had just taken place, but much to her surprise she felt she didn't mind.

Because just for once she, too, couldn't care less.


	10. Ch 10 MJDai

**The Courting of Bryn – Ch 10**

"How about this, is this right?" Bryn asked, showing Doubar the knot she'd been practising while he stood at the tiller.

"Here, hold this for a moment," Doubar said, and waited 'till Bryn had secured the tiller against her hip before taking the rope out of her hand and inspecting it.

"You've almost got it, but you went under instead of over here and that means…" Doubar tugged at both ends of the rope and half the knot unravelled, leaving a tangled rope in its place.

"Oh, you make it look way too easy, I didn't know it would take all this practice!" Bryn complained.

"Just keep at it, you'll get the hang of it," Doubar assured her, taking back the tiller and handing her the piece of rope.

"Well, at least I've got a patient teacher," Bryn smiled at her beau.

"If it were up to me you'd never get it, I like spending all this time with you," Doubar said.

"If you keep saying things like that I'm going to do something that'll cause so much talk the ship will explode," she flirted.

Doubar fanned himself, deciding against pushing the subject even further, Bryn laughed out loud at his exaggerated antics.

"Speaking of causing talk… Aren't we in for a little pay-back?" She nodded towards the deck where Maeve stood with her back against the mast while Sinbad was tying off a line just above her head, which of course meant they stood very close together. Though the two at the tiller couldn't hear what they were saying, and saw only Sinbad's back, the look on Maeve's face was definitely challenging; she was not backing down.

"What do you suggest?" Doubar asked, following her line of sight.

"We could start a rumour of our own…" Bryn thought aloud. "But that would be too mean-spirited."

"The way they're standing now, we could wrap a rope around the mast and tie them to it," Doubar said. "Or we could lock them in the cupboard until they either kill or kiss each other."

Bryn laughed. "I think I like scheming with you."

"And I'm enjoying this naughty side of you immensely," Doubar flirted.

"Just you wait, you haven't seen naughty yet," Bryn said, the look she tossed him speaking volumes.

Doubar felt his blood pressure rising and at the tiller there was very little to hide behind so he changed the subject back to his little brother and his stubborn paramour.

No words came out. He had to clear his throat before being able to speak again. "So uhm, how are we going to get those two back?"

"They have to think it's their idea, or they'll never go for it," Bryn said, noticing exactly what kind of effect she had on Doubar and enjoying it immensely. "How about we give him a note that's supposedly from her and her one from him? Asking to meet or something."

"Little one, I think we have a plan!" Doubar enthusiastically agreed.


	11. Ch 11 TiaKisu

**The Courting of Bryn Ch 11**

„So, what do you think? Does this look like it comes from my little brother?"

Doubar handed Bryn the note he had just written, copying Sinbad's hand writing as well as he could.  
He and the brunette sorceress had met in her cabin as soon as the first mate's shift had ended and now they were trying hard to put the plan they had come up with earlier into action.

Bryn took the little piece of paper from his hands, held it a little higher and pinched her nose.

"Meet me at the prow at sundown. There's something I need to tell you. Sinbad", she read out loud, mulling over the words while she spoke them.  
"Short, unemotional", she then summed up; "with no trace whatsoever of a confession of love. It's perfect! She won't suspect a thing!"  
Her velvet eyes sparkled mischievously at her partner in crime when next she picked up the note she herself had been working on.  
"Now you. What do you say about Maeve's part?"

Unconsciously the brunette bit her lip while Doubar scanned the parchment.

"Dear Sinbad", he started, giving her the pleasure of hearing him read the lines, "Watching Doubar and Bryn take their chance at happiness made me realize a few things. Please meet me at the prow when the sun sets. Maeve."

He let those lines sink in for a moment, contemplating if the Celt would be this obvious in such a note and almost he would have doubted it when suddenly he understood what Bryn had had in mind while writing this.  
"You want him to think she's finally made up her mind!", he exclaimed baffled by how wicked the young one could be, "He's gonna be all smug and full of himself. Oh, this is evil, little one. Truly evil." The first mate had lowered his voice as he spoke but it was obvious he was full of admiration for her.

"Of course", he then continued, tapping the letter with his index, "there's chance she's going to fry him before we can make our move. And that's only if he buys it."

Bryn shrugged, having considered this turn of events herself.  
"I know. It might not work out and it might be they kill each other but kill or kiss… it will be quite a show in either case."

At this Doubar's mouth twitched slightly before a grin settled on it. He didn't think that the Lass and his brother would ever truly hurt the other, no matter how close they seemed to be to throttling each other at times, and so he deemed it safe to just go with the flow and add a little spice to the game they were going to play with them.

"Alright then", he finally said, arching his back after having sat with his nose almost on the table while trying to write a note that would convince Maeve. "So you'll place my brother's note in the Lass' cabin and I'll make sure that Sinbad receives hers."

"And then we meet on deck at sundown", she finished for him. But before she went to do her part she turned to him once more, seeking his attention.  
"Oh, and don't forget to make sure that Firouz is around. If everything goes according to plan the whole ship will know in no time."

Again there was this glimmer in her eyes and Doubar could not help but shake his head a little at it.  
"I didn't know you could be this wicked", he muttered but smiled all the same. "If the two of them do ever find out we'll be in for a majour kind of trouble."

"Well, you said I was all worth it", she replied in a heartbeat, her whole face alit with mirth.

He just looked at her from where he stood and his suddenly tender expression had her heart melt instantly.

"Aye that you are; and you always will be."


	12. Ch 12 TiaKisu

The sun was setting low already when Doubar and Bryn met at the reeling near the tiller. Bryn had brought another piece of rope so that she and the first mate could pretend to practice making knots again while in reality their attention lay on the prow.

"What about the Lass?", Doubar asked the young sorceress quietly while he fumbled with the cord, twisting it expertly but slowly until it formed one of the more complicated ties. While he stood with his back to the bow, Bryn had positioned herself just in the right angle to observe the far end of the ship without any difficulty.

"She's not yet there. But Sinbad is still pacing up and down, humming to himself if his expression is anything to go by", she replied nonchalantly before she took the rope from Doubar's hands and inspected it carefully.

"He bought it then", the first mate concluded, fighting the urge to turn around and steal a glimpse at his younger brother himself. Admittedly, he felt just a tiny bit bad about fooling the younger one like that but on the other hand, he knew, if things worked out the way he and Bryn had planned then this would be quite a beneficial situation for all of them.

In response to his statement the brunette next to him nodded curtly before she frowned slightly.

"How did you make that one?", she asked while her gaze lay on the intricate knot. As much as the current lesson was more a disguise than anything else she still couldn't fight the urge to improve her skills. Doubar however didn't even have the chance to answer as suddenly she tensed, her brown orbs darting towards the stairs that led below deck.

Just a few feet away from the two conspirators Maeve emerged from the ship's hull, wearing a slightly puzzled expression on her face. In her right hand she still seemed to clutch the parchment that Bryn had made sure lay on top of the other woman's pillow. With even steps the Celt crossed the deck until finally she approached the captain who had instantly stopped pacing the moment he had spotted her. And by the time the redhead reached him he was leaning on the reeling, watching her expectantly.

"And so the show begins", Bryn whispered almost silently. It appeared that both their victims had decided to humour the letters they had found, not taking the possibility into account that their friends were plotting against them.  
While the young sorceress shifted on her spot, allowing Doubar to do the same and thus gain a better view on the pair at the bow, she leaned closer for a second. There was one thing she had not yet asked him although it was a rather vital part of their plan.  
"Firouz?"

She knew she didn't need to say more and indeed Doubar grinned at her instantly, a knowing look in his eyes.  
"Don't you worry", he smiled broadly, "he will be here just in time."  
Then he retrieved the rope from her hands and untangled the tie. He could work the cord without giving it much thought and could thus continue to pretend even when watching how his little brother fared.

All the while, at the other side of the ship Maeve looked questioningly at Sinbad. The sailor wore a strange mixture of a smug smile and a hopeful expression and either one unsettled her.

"So?", she finally broke the silence, frowning slightly at him. "What is it that you wanted to tell me?"

"Me?" His reply came as a question. The captain's eyebrows rose while he obviously pondered the meaning of her attitude. "It was you who wanted to see me. At the prow. At sundown." His voice held the faintest trace of doubt, but as quickly as it came he chased it away again, eventually relaxing under her gaze. A smirk played on his lips when at last he decided he knew the game she was playing.  
"You said you had realized a few things and I came to tell you I agree", he went on casually, certain that she just wanted to find out whether he thought likewise. A shrug passed his shoulders while he paused a moment, watching her gaze and searching for any hint as to that he was right. But unlike he had expected, Maeve's frown just deepened in response to his words.

"And what is it do you think I have realized?", she asked incredulously although there also was a tiny bit of curiosity to her words.

"That it was time you didn't keep pulling back anymore. That you and I should finally…."  
More he did not get to say.  
By the time he had spoken the last bit her eyes were opened wide and her cheeks had paled dangerously, cutting off any further speech from his side. This was certainly not the reaction he had expected, and it had him become somewhat flustered.

"What in the name of all what is good and holy makes you think I would say something like that?"  
The young Celt was clearly agitated, her gaze boring holes into his own. It wasn't so much the issue of their unresolved relationship that bothered her, but rather the fact that he automatically assumed she would be the one to back down and seek his attention like all those flimsy girls did who constantly came swarming about him once they reached a bigger port. No, if he wanted more than what they had till now he would have to try a little harder than make her admit to something she would never say or do.  
Unconsciously she straightened up a little as she challenged him with her stare, letting him know that he was dreading dangerous ground right now.

Her change in posture had the desired effect for just a second later Sinbad seemed to shrink. His shoulders slumped a little while they moved with a forlorn shrug. The smug expression he had worn so shortly before was gone and replaced with a confused frown.

"But you… I mean the note …"  
It rarely occurred that the famous Master of the Seven Seas was lost of words, and when it happened it was usually related to the very person who also caused his stuttering now. Helplessly he looked at her, truly clueless about what went on.

Maeve on the other hand felt her own mood sober as she watched the captain falter, and almost she could not have helped the smile that was daring to conquer her lips. But she bit back the smirk and leaned closer instead, feigning to be most annoyed with him.

"The note that _you_ sent me, yeah I got it. And I thought you had to tell me anything important but if this weird game you try to play is all this is about then…"

"No", he almost cried at her, pushing away from the reeling at the same time. "I'm not playing any game and I didn't send you any note. It's _you_ who sent me one and I really thought… I thought that things had changed."  
Suddenly he exhaled sharply, his breath coming in a quiet sigh. It was easy to see he didn't understand a thing anymore and even Maeve felt her bewilderment return. His voice bore so much confusion, but worse than that it held disappointment and it was the latter that told her that maybe he indeed wasn't to blame.

"But who sent _this_ then?", she inquired impatiently, raising her right arm and holding the note right in front of his face. By now captain and sorceress where mere inches apart from each other - something their two watchers had waited for.

"There", Doubar urged quietly, letting the rope sink that he had worked on. His pale blue gaze shifted to Bryn whose eyes lay on her friends, a strange insecurity written in their velvet depths. She didn't say a word but the first mate knew instantly just what troubled her.  
"Hey", he nudged her softly, "you can do this. It's just a little wind spell."

His confidence was infectious and she cast him a grateful smile before she chased her doubts away. Leaning into him just a tiny bit she muttered ancient words, concentrating on what she sought to do. The wind spell was one of the charms that she had been practicing in private, meaning to surprise Maeve one day with the result of her studies. Often had she already summoned a gentle breeze but never before had she dared to control the air like she wanted to now. And although she herself had come up with this part of their plan, she could not help but feel nervous about it.

Drawing strength from Doubar's belief in her she tried to awake the magic that she knew was part of her soul. The words were uttered with care, her eyes half closed and finally she sensed this faint tingling run all through her veins that announced her powers were stirred. Carefully she then directed her thoughts to focus on Maeve's slender frame and just when the other one waved the note in front of Sinbad's eyes, Bryn released the breeze she had created.

The gust turned out to be perfectly right for it was neither too strong not too week. Out of the blue it passed the Celt by from behind, pushing her forward until she lost her balance, falling into Sinbad's arms. The captain had acted out of reflex when he had caught her, holding her tight as the sudden rush of wind died down. Perplexed he looked at her, their meeting gazes a match to each other in the amount of utter confusion that was written in their depths.

Behind them the sun was sending her last light to illuminate the sky and painted sea and heaven alike in a crimson shine. Like fire Maeve's hair shimmered in its glow and as she stood there all what had been there before was suddenly gone, leaving nothing but quietness in its wake.  
As much as she wanted to be angry about what just had happened she couldn't find it within herself to feel anything but warmth. Sinbad's sea blue eyes lay on her, painted in a deep rich red, his gaze open like it rarely was. He held her securely still, not wanting to let go.  
Whoever had brought them there, whoever was playing a game with them, it didn't matter anymore. Maeve knew that he would not admit to anything he felt, and neither would she. The walls that each of them had drawn around their hearts were strong and high, but in this one second in which her guard was down – destroyed by a stray gust of wind – she felt her own one crumble. She had seen the hope in the captain's gaze, hope that one day things would be easier between them and even though she might just regret this later she was willing to give him reason to not despair.

Already her breath tickled his skin, the magic of the moment letting their hearts race in their chests. They were so close – only a thin layer of air was still keeping them apart.

At the other end of the ship Doubar and Bryn were staring openly at the couple at the prow, both of them seeing no need to keep up their disguise any further.  
Along with them Ahmed gaped at his captain and the Celt, the rudder in his hands almost forgotten. The rumours that had travelled the Nomad in the last couple of days had been entertaining for sure, but as soon as Bryn had kissed the first mate in front of the whole shift earlier this day the spell was somewhat broken. There was little fun in talking about a soon-to-be couple that did not hide their feelings for each other anymore (and everyone one deck knew that those two would end up together sooner or later).  
Their captain and the Celt however were a totally different matter. All onboard knew or at least suspected that there was something going on, but never could they be seen share anything but glances. And if they did indeed find themselves in a situation that would suggest that there was more between them than just friendship they would get all embarrassed and deny it all. So seeing them like this, so close to each other and on the verge to kissing was definitely something to talk about. And maybe Ahmed had even cheered to himself had they indeed closed the little distance, but right before their lips could meet they suddenly broke apart, distracted by the feeling of a heavy gaze lying on them.

Their heads tilting to the centre of the deck they straightened up, letting go off each other as if they had been burnt.  
There, next to them stood Firouz with his magnoscope. He had come up here to watch the evening star rise – something that was best done in a cloud-less night like the one that now began and Doubar had been kind enough to remind him of that fact. Now however the magnoscope almost fell from his grasp while he stared at his friends with his mouth opened wide.

"We, er… we, ahm…", Maeve started to stutter, her cheeks beginning to burn with heat. Inwardly she was starting to panic. Being caught almost kissing Sinbad had so not been on her to-do-list for today and it was all the worse for if Firouz had seen them all the ship would know in no time.

"Were just trying to", Sinbad instantly tried to come to her help but found himself have troubles finding a good excuse himself. "I thought the wind blew something into my eye", he then suddenly exclaimed, relieved he had found a reason for their behavior, though lame it was, "and Maeve just wanted to see whether there indeed was anything."

Supportive of his attempt at saving them both, Maeve nodded vigorously and affirmed a little too eagerly that this was indeed all what this had been about. Then she stepped away from him, hiding her blush behind her auburn hair.

"And all is fine. You must have, erm, erred", she then added hastily, "nothing to see that would be unsettling. But maybe Firouz wants to have a look as well. I will go and look after Dermott if you don't mind." And with this she retreated before her friends could even say a word. Behind her Sinbad was following her with his gaze but when, out of the corner of his eyes he noticed the inventor grin at him, he quickly turned his head.

"Am I safe to assume my skills are not needed here?", the curly haired man addressed his captain whose cheeks by now had developed a rosy hue.  
For a second it appeared the latter would come up with a reply to the request, but knowing anything he said would just make it worse, Sinbad shook his head in confirmation before he squeezed himself past his friend and made his way towards the tiller. Knowing he could not go and follow Maeve below deck the only thing that was left for him to do right now was offer Ahmed to release him of his duty for a while. And maybe, so he hoped, he could even do this in exchange for a little secrecy.

As he made his way up to the rear end of his ship he tried to walk with dignity and not let it show off just how affected he still was by what had just taken place. And almost he would have thus missed the glances his brother and the brunette sorceress threw at him but just when he walked them by he caught an expression in Doubar's gaze that had him stop dead in his tracks.

If Maeve had not written his note, and he had not written hers…

A groan left his throat as finally he understood. One rumour was worth the other.

And sometimes living on a ship really sucked.


	13. Ch 13 MJDai

"Sinbad!" Maeve protested when she noticed Sinbad just walking into her cabin without even bothering to knock.

"Well I didn't think being seen entering your cabin right now would be the best idea, so I had to hurry," Sinbad explained.

"Or you could just not come here at all," Maeve snidely remarked, too confused about her own feelings to be pleasant to the object of all those muddled thoughts right now.

"You know we're being played right?" Sinbad said, ignoring her remark.

"Well of course, this was someone's idea of a joke," Maeve said, apparently not being very appreciative about being the butt of said joke.

"Bryn and Doubar think it was me who told everyone else about their sleeping arrangements the other night," Sinbad said.

"Did you?" Maeve asked.

"No! I told Bryn to get out of there before shift change, I told her I was happy for them. But while they were asleep, the night shift was awake and it doesn't take a genius to realize one of them must've come down and saw them together," Sinbad protested.

"Well what do you suggest we do about it?" Maeve asked.

"I suggest we play along, act like we haven't figured out that we've been set up," Sinbad said.

"What?!" Maeve exclaimed, obviously surprised at this turn of events.

"Just hear me out, alright?" Sinbad asked. "Doubar is really trying to win over Bryn, and so far it's working what with the gestures and the knots and things but they don't do anything together… Like.. he teaches her knots and she studies the knots and gives her stuff and she receives stuff but this way, they can see how much they enjoy working together as a team."

"Working as a team to try and trick us to get together," Maeve dryly added, the flaw in this plan seemed fairly obvious to her.

"I know it's not ideal, but it would really mean a lot to me if you went along with this…" Sinbad said, underlining the plea with his most adorable expression.

"But… but… why?" Maeve spluttered, far from immune to his charm.

"Doubar has given up everything for me, his own happiness, just so he could see me get everything I wanted… I want to do whatever I can to give him all that he deserves. I know you understand, I know what lengths you go to for your own brother… Please?" Sinbad asked, adorable puppy-look firmly in place.

"I am going to regret this, but let's do it," Maeve gave in.

"Thank you so much!" Sinbad said, enveloping her in an enthusiastic hug.

Maeve froze as the whole unintelligible torrent of her feelings rushed to the forefront, specifically in all the places her body was now touching his and she realized that pretending with him was going to muddy the waters even further and would probably leave her broken hearted at the end. She relaxed into his arms and enveloped him inside her own: the end wasn't here just yet, so she might as well enjoy it while it lasted.

Sinbad closed his eyes once he felt Maeve accept his hug. If Doubar was really right about him and his kissing a hundred girls once, then why couldn't he stop thinking about kissing Maeve?


	14. Ch 14 MJDai

"Doubar, can I talk to you for a moment?" Sinbad asked, when he found his big brother on deck.

"Sure Sinbad, what's up?" Doubar asked, a little wary because he expected some kind of pay-back for the notes.

"Let's go somewhere we can be alone," Sinbad suggested quietly.

"Is that what you told Maeve?" Doubar sniggered.

Sinbad didn't rise to the bait, though inwardly he rolled his eyes. Was he really going to go through all this for his annoying big brother? Well yes, yes he was.

When they were alone in the hold Sinbad carefully arranged his features to look pained and confused. "So I got this note from Maeve, basically saying she was hot for me…" Sinbad started.

Doubar flinched, he was pretty sure that the note Sinbad had received said no such thing and that his little brother would interpret it as such was disturbing.

"So I met up with her and then she picked a fight with me. Women, right? And THEN, she threw herself right at me, in front of the entire ship. And then she stomped off, like I had done something wrong! Now she won't talk to me," Sinbad said, giving Doubar the story he'd agreed upon with Maeve.

"I don't know what to say little brother," Doubar said. He had some thoughts, mostly variations on the word: idiot! Then he realized he was in the clear about the note set-up and if he was not going to be found out, he had to be surprised about this note-sending thing. "You said you got a note, can I see?"

"I threw it overboard," Sinbad confessed. "I didn't want it to be found by the gossip-brigade."

"That's probably smart," Doubar agreed, relieved that at least half of the evidence that could be used against him had gone. "I guess the only question that really needs an answer is what you want from her. If you only want a one-time thing, you'd better walk away now. You'll fracture the crew if you don't."

"I'm not ready to up and marry her if that's what you're suggesting!" Sinbad protested.

"I'm not suggesting anything, I just need to know what you want," Doubar said gently.

"I don't know what I want. It's just that… when I've done something really good, I want to look at her and see how proud she is, but at the same time I love needling her you know? She's hilarious when she's mad at me, only not when it's for real. And let's be honest, she isn't exactly hard on the eyes," Sinbad said.

Doubar chuckled, genuinely amused at how flustered Sinbad got trying to explain what Maeve meant to him. "Well little brother, it sounds like you're in for it!"

"Doubar! Not funny! What do I do?" Sinbad asked.

Doubar should've smelled a rat right then and there. Sinbad had never asked him for advice on his love-life but the big guy didn't, too pleased that he for once was the one ahead in the races.

"Just give me a little while alright? We can think of something," Doubar chuckled, already resolved to find Bryn and fill her in on how their note-sending prank had had unforeseen consequences.

Meanwhile Maeve had found Bryn in her cabin. Had, in confidence, named every despicable name she could think of to name their captain and then dramatically flopped onto the bed.

"But there was this moment, you know? I'd been knocked into his arms and for a moment we just… We were the only two people in the entire world," Maeve sighed.

"Well he can be a charming man when he chooses to be," Bryn shrugged.

"No, it was more than that, it was like he was as caught up in it as I was," Maeve said dreamily, then shook her head, trying to clear it of her infatuation. "But it doesn't matter, he's still a pig, he just expects me to jump him like every other floozy he comes across. It's almost like he's two people! When he lets his guard down, we really connect and I just get him, you know? But the rest of the time he's smug and annoying!"

"No one can be vulnerable all the time," Bryn offered.

"But he could be considerate!" Maeve complained.

"I guess if you want the good bits, you have to learn to live with the annoying bits," Bryn said.

"You are no help," Maeve complained.

"Because you have no problem. Make up your mind about what you want from him, then we'll talk," Bryn said, getting up and leaving Maeve alone in the cabin.

"It seems like we stirred something up between them!" Doubar grinned, after he and Bryn had filled each other in on their respective conversations.

"Maybe we should just leave them to it, I don't know if getting even more involved is going to turn out well," Bryn said hesitantly.

"You're probably right," Doubar conceded. "It's just that I like being with you so much that I want Sinbad to feel for someone like I do for you."

Bryn flashed him her widest smile. "You make a compelling argument. So how are we going to get those two stubborn fools together? Telling them to be nicer to each other obviously isn't going to work!"

"Maybe we could convince Maeve to fake her own kidnapping? Sinbad always gets very anxious when something happens to her…" Doubar said.

"Too cruel, considering recent events," Bryn pointed out. "Could you convince him to write a letter to Maeve? You know, show his vulnerable side? I can guarantee she'll like that."

"Should I take note that that is something you would like as well?" Doubar asked.

"I hope you don't need the safety of notes to show me your vulnerable side," Bryn answered, her eyes searching his.

"I don't," Doubar said, slowly leaning forward even as her face inched towards his.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Firouz poked his head around the doorway.

"Firouz!" Doubar and Bryn hollered at the intrusive inventor. The moment was over, that was for sure!

"I'm supposed to write you a love-letter," Sinbad complained to his fellow-conspirator.

"Aww, that's sweet," Maeve grinned at him.

"Really? Girls go for that kind of stuff?" Sinbad asked.

Maeve rolled her eyes but gave him a good-natured answer. "Yes Sinbad, girls go for that kind of stuff."

"Well what do I say?" Sinbad asked.

"You're asking me to help you write your love-letter to me?" Maeve asked.

"Yes!" Sinbad answered.

"You are useless, you know that? Oh just come sit down, you can start by describing how beautiful I looked in the light of the setting sun," Maeve said.

"Please, don't be shy about your looks," Sinbad teased her.

"And definitely add something about how I'm always right and you're always wrong!" Maeve said, ignoring his words except for a nudge with her elbow.

"Sure, you go on believing I will ever say that," Sinbad grinned. This scheming thing was fun!


	15. Ch 15 MJDai

"How about this?" Sinbad handed the co-written love-letter over the official committee, consisting of Bryn and Doubar.

Doubar unfolded the letter and he and Bryn stuck their heads close together so they could read at the same time. As they read the letter snorts, chuckles and hums emanated from the pair. Sinbad felt like he was waiting for a jury to sentence him, he was just happy it was all for show. He had already conferred with Maeve on what her reaction was to be.

"Aw, this is cute," Bryn pointed at a passage.

"Yours are better looking," Doubar commented.

Bryn snorted, nudging him affectionately before reading on. Sinbad turned his back for a moment so he could gag unseen.

"So you think she'll stop being mad at me when she reads this?" Sinbad eventually asked.

"I think she'll offer to have your babies when she reads this," Bryn commented.

Doubar and Sinbad looked shocked, off their look she shrugged. "What? The girl's impulsive!"

"If at any time you feel the impulse to have my babies, don't fight it," Doubar winked at her.

"Guys!" Sinbad whined, afraid he was going to have to sit through a full-scale make-out.

"What? Do you know how many times we've had to stand by and look while you did your thing with some random girl?" Bryn protested.

"The letter?" Sinbad asked, knowing if he got into an argument about his make-out habits he would lose by a landslide. "Will you give it to her Bryn?"

"Why don't you give it yourself?" Doubar asked, kind of hoping that Sinbad would leave soon because he was very interested in where alone-time with Bryn would take them.

"Because she's mad at me right now, and I need to know what she looks like when she reads it," Sinbad said. "Please?"

Bryn sighed and plucked the letter out of Doubar's hand. "I'll take it to her right now. Just wait here," Bryn said.

Doubar glowered at his little brother behind Bryn's back. Sinbad pretended not to notice.

"He wrote me a love-letter?" Maeve asked when Bryn shoved the note between Maeve's nose and the book she'd been reading.

Dermott squawked, surprised by this turn of events.

"Never you mind!" Maeve directed her voice towards the bird, keeping her thoughts from him on purpose. "Don't you have some circles to fly over the ship?"

With another affronted squawk the hawk flew out the door.

Bryn waited patiently while Maeve read the letter, keeping her eyes trained on the red-head's expressions. She could only discern a real delight, which confused her a little... Shouldn't the girl be a little more surprised?

"What do I do now?" Maeve asked her friend.

"What do you mean?" Bryn asked.

"Well, you know, he's still a pig, but this is very sweet. I don't know how to respond!" Maeve said.

"You could… send him a letter back?" Bryn suggested.

"Good idea, but how do I act when I see him around the ship?" Maeve asked.

"Friendly?" Bryn said, there was something weird going on- but maybe it was just her guilty conscious playing up. "Or you could just go up and kiss him; that seems to work for him just fine."

"Yeah that might send the wrong message," Maeve commented.

"So what is the message you're trying to get across?" Bryn asked. "What do you want from him?"

Maeve looked down at her hands for a moment, letting the charade drop when she looked up again. "I want to be his one and only. But he's not ready for a commitment like that."

"Maybe he'll surprise you," Bryn said, sitting down next to Maeve and putting an arm around her.

"Sinbad is no Doubar Bryn, he wouldn't even know how to be with one woman," Maeve sighed.

"You just write your letter, leave Sinbad to Doubar and me," Bryn patted her friend's shoulder and went back to the room holding the brothers.

"She liked the letter," she announced, "but if you're serious about her you're going to have to stop paying so much attention to other women."

"Is that what she said?" Sinbad asked, inwardly a little peeved that Maeve would spoil his fun like that.

"No, she said you're not ready for her yet and she isn't going to wait around until you are," Bryn said, embellishing a little.

Sinbad's brow furrowed, he had never thought of it like that.

"It makes sense; she's a great lass, has a lot to offer any man, you can't expect her to wait for something that might never come," Doubar nodded sagely.

"There something very attractive about a man who's not afraid to show how he really feels," Bryn said, ostensibly to Sinbad but obviously her remark was aimed at Doubar.

"I'll think about it alright? Thanks for all the help guys," Sinbad said, finally leaving the love-birds alone.

That night a pair of bare feet sneaked from one cabin to another, slipping inside before anyone could see.

Sinbad gently shook Maeve's shoulder. "Maeve, wake up," he hissed.

"Sinbad? What's wrong?" Maeve asked, sitting up in bed and blearily trying to focus her eyes.

"Can we talk?" Sinbad asked.

"What, you had a bad dream? Because I think that excuse is taken," Maeve said, wrapping her blanket a little tighter around her shoulders as he sat down on the bed where her legs had just been.

"No, it's not that I just…" Sinbad started.

"You couldn't wait to offer your advice on the letter I'm supposed to send you?" Maeve interrupted.

"Would you keep quiet for just a moment? I'm trying to ask you something here!" Sinbad blurted out, rather annoyed with her.

"Well get on with it then!" Maeve argued right back, reminded for a moment on their first meeting and his inability to speak up then too.

"What you said to Bryn today, did you mean it?" Sinbad asked, hating this vulnerable feeling of laying his cards on the table.

Maeve eyed him suspiciously, feeling like he was baiting a trap for her to walk into. "What did Bryn say I said to her?"

"That you think I'm not ready for you yet and that you won't wait around," Sinbad said.

"Oh… well… I didn't say that exactly," Maeve answered. "But yes, I guess I do think that." She looked at him expectantly, wondering what was going on inside his head.

"It's just fun you know? All the other girls. I get all this attention heaped on me and I won't deny that it feels good. But it's not to them I look to," Sinbad said.

"What are you looking to me for?" Maeve asked, her voice quiet and her expression as non-threatening as she could make it.

Sinbad thought about it for a moment. "To call me out when I have a big mouth," he started, because that was the easiest. "To talk to, when I get stuck in my own head. You know, lots of things." He chickened out at the last moment.

"I'm already your friend Sinbad, you don't have to worry about that," Maeve said, taking his hand in hers because she sensed his need for comfort.

"I want more than your friendship," Sinbad rushed the words past his lips, strengthened by his hand in hers, he finally took the plunge.

"Do you want it more than the fun and the attention?" Maeve asked, carefully keeping her heart in check.

Though Maeve meant it as an honest question, Sinbad heard an accusation in her words and withdrew his hand from hers.

"I'm not saying I'm perfect alright? I'm not asking you to marry me, so don't hold your breath!" Sinbad argued.

Maeve had to do some quick thinking when she heard the anger in his voice, it took her completely aback. She had to fight her own first impulse to retaliate with as much anger.

"Sinbad, look at me," she said, knowing she had to get the next point across before everything fell apart like a house of cards. She waited a full five heartbeats but then he turned his face to her. "I don't need you to be perfect and I don't know where you got the idea of marriage from but I can't get married until I fulfil my quest. What I need to know from you is if you're ready to turn away from things you're used to and enjoy… No that's not what I mean… I want us to be a team, I want you to consider my feelings when you act, like I will consider yours and that we connect and share and… well you know, all that."

"I have no idea how to do all that," Sinbad answered, but the anger was gone so that was progress.

"Me neither," Maeve confessed. "But this is a good start, right?"

"What about the fun stuff, is that anywhere on that wish-list of yours?" Sinbad asked.

"Oh it definitely is," Maeve said, leaning a little closer to him. "As you'll find out…" she leaned closer still, their lips almost touching. "At some later date." She moved back again.

"Cruel woman!" Sinbad complained.

"Yeah, yeah," she waved his complaint away. "You realize the whole scheme just got even more complicated: unless you want to tell Bryn and Doubar we've worked it all out on our own, we now have to keep that a secret while secretly enlisting their help to get us together to keep them together and keeping that secret from them as well as the fact they tried to set us up in the first place."

"What?" Sinbad asked, not following her at all.

"Exactly. Complicated," she answered.

"We could just come clean about it all…" Sinbad suggested, though obviously his heart wasn't in it.

"I don't know, I sort of like all the scheming," Maeve said, picking up on his reluctance and agreeing.

"That's because you're a devious woman," Sinbad pointed out.

"Yes, very. Now get out, I'm tired," she said sternly.

"Not even a little kiss to celebrate our understanding?" Sinbad asked, though, now he thought about it, he didn't quite know what that understanding was exactly.

"No," Maeve said, steadfast.

"Or I could hold you all night and keep the nightmares away. I hear that works a charm," Sinbad grinned.

"Sinbad, look over there," Maeve pointed to a corner of her room.

Dermott was glaring daggers at the captain.

"Hi Dermott, hadn't noticed you over there…" Sinbad muttered.

"Goodnight Sinbad," Maeve smiled, waving her hand at him.

"Night Maeve, Goodnight Dermott," Sinbad said, reluctantly rising from the bed.

He made his way back to his own bed unseen- as far as he knew anyway.


	16. Ch 16 MJDai

"Soooo…" Bryn drawled as she happened upon Maeve near the prow. "I heard you had some company last night."

Maeve tried to will the blush that suddenly tinted her cheeks away- it was of no use. She tried to play it cool anyway. "Really? Where'd you hear that?"

"Let's just say a little birdy told me," Bryn grinned, loving being on the other side of this conversation.

Maeve made a mental note to kill Dermott. "Well you know you shouldn't believe everything you hear."

"Oh I know, I've learned to be a very discerning listener on board this ship," Bryn nodded sagely.

"Well alright, he did come to talk to me last night, but that's all that happened," Maeve conceded. "You'd said something to him that made him think and he wanted to run it by me."

"The bit where you want to have his babies?" Bryn guessed.

"Bryn!" Maeve gasped, completely shocked. "You said WHAT?"

"I was only joking, he knew that, it wasn't serious at all," Bryn back-pedalled furiously, but it was too late.

"No wonder he freaked out last night. He told me in so many words that he was not marrying me. I had to do some fast-talking to keep him from jumping his own ship!" Maeve glared at Bryn.

"I'm sorry Maeve, I didn't think he would take it that way!" Bryn said, cringing under Maeve's stare.

* * *

"I think I messed up," Bryn confided to Doubar when he came down to help her ready lunch.

"What happened?" Doubar asked, concerned.

"Well Dermott told me that Sinbad came to Maeve's cabin last night, so I confronted her," Bryn explained.

"He did what?" Doubar nearly choked on his own tongue.

"Well Dermott did say nothing but talking happened, and he was asleep for half of it and didn't get what they were talking about half the time… But anyway, Maeve told me he came to her basically to tell her he was never going to marry her," Bryn explained.

"Wha…" Doubar was speechless for a moment. "Why would he do a thing like that? After the whole business with the letter… He just goes and…" Doubar shook his head. "It's not just me who sees some pretty obvious signs that he is infatuated with the lass, right?"

"I guess he's just too scared. He wants it, he tried, but when push comes to shove he just can't do it," Bryn said.

"I'll go and have a talk with him," Doubar sighed.

"Do you mind if I went to talk to him instead? It was my baby joke that brought this on, I feel like I should be the one to fix it," Bryn suggested.

"You are not responsible for my little brother's emotional state Bryn, but if you want to talk to him, I would appreciate it," Doubar said.

* * *

Bryn found Sinbad at the tiller after lunch and decided she couldn't put off this conversation any longer.

"Maeve told me about your conversation last night," Bryn said, her voice low so they wouldn't be overheard.

"She did?" Sinbad asked, not having been briefed by Maeve on the subject his mind was racing. All this double-layered scheming stuff was difficult!

Bryn took his surprise in stride. "So why don't you want to marry her?"

Of all the truths, half-truths and outright lies they had told… He should've known this one would've come back to bite him in the butt. "I don't want to talk about it." Well it seemed like the safest thing to say.

"But you felt the need to go to her in the middle of the night to tell her that?" Bryn asked.

"I didn't want her to get the wrong idea, you know, with the letter and everything," Sinbad said, really wishing he knew exactly why Maeve had told the other sorceress.

"You said some pretty nice things to her in that letter," Bryn pointed out. "Did you mean them?"

Sinbad cringed when he thought about how that letter had actually been written. "Mostly," he said.

Bryn noticed how uncomfortable Sinbad was and it wasn't very fair of her to corner him in a place he couldn't get away from but she just _needed _to understand why everything just felt so weird. "And then, the moment you stood a chance of her reciprocating those pretty nice feelings, you felt the need to push her away again…"

"Didn't mean to," Sinbad said, actually starting to sweat.

"Do you want to fix it?" Bryn asked.

"Yes?" Sinbad posed it as a question because his mind could no longer follow the various layers of the scheme.

"So how about you have another conversation with her tonight?" Bryn suggested.

"I can't, I have the tiller tonight," Sinbad said, not adding that he would have to confer with Maeve on how to lie through this particular obstacle.

"I thought Doubar had the tiller tonight," Bryn said with a frown.

"Well he does, but not until later…" Sinbad sweated some more, almost having betrayed yet another secret,

"Right… So are you going to talk to Maeve?" Bryn asked, noticing exactly how weird Sinbad was being.

Sinbad just nodded and Bryn, figuring she had wrung all the answers out of him that she could, left him in peace.

* * *

Bryn had changed into her night gown and was just combing out her hair when she heard a beautiful deep voice start to recite a poem. She would've recognised that voice anywhere.

Quickly she pulled a shawl over her shoulders and opened her door. There in the narrow hall stood Doubar, reciting the poem Majnun Layla about a man driven insane by his love for Layla. Soon two instruments joined in, Bryn spotted Firouz and Rongar at the end of the hall, Firouz taking a second and then joining in to form a harmony with Doubar. Eventually a female voice joined in, Maeve sat on the stairs leading up to the deck.

Bryn re-focused her gaze on Doubar and the beautiful, tragic story he was telling. She barely knew how to stand, what to do with her hands, she felt so overwhelmed being serenaded by Doubar with help from half the crew.

When Layla and her madman had died and the song wound down she basically fell into Doubar's arm, not even noticing the tears running down her cheeks. "That was beautiful," she muttered.

"Thanks guys," she said a little louder. Without fuss or comment the three crew-members left the hallway.

Doubar set her back on her feet and carefully wiped the tears away. "So you liked it?"

"Loved it. Every time I think you can't surprise me anymore, you do something like this. I feel a little overwhelmed actually," Bryn admitted.

"I hope I will be surprising you for a long time to come," Doubar said, his own eyes suspiciously shiny now that he was faced with her tears.

"If it's up to me, you definitely will," Bryn smiled up at him. She had known Doubar really cared for her for a while now, but to be reminded of it again and again… It made her feel very safe and well-loved.

Doubar gently, almost carefully kissed her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, trying to convey just how happy she was when she was with him.

Eventually Doubar reluctantly broke the kiss. "I'm late to take over the tiller," he said, his eyes full of apology.

"Want some company?" Bryn asked, caressing his cheek and then running her fingers through his beard.

Doubar was tempted for a moment, but she was in her nightgown, ready for bed. "You get your rest. I'll see you in the morning."

A/N: For info on the poem/song: wiki/Layla_and_Majnun


	17. Ch 17 MJDai

**The Courting of Bryn - Ch17**

With Doubar at the tiller and Bryn retired for the night the four remaining friends sat around the galley table, each with a measure of rum in front of them.

"My compliments crew, I heard your performance and you nearly had me in tears," Sinbad said, raising his glass to them.

"It was very romantic," Maeve agreed with a wistful sigh.

"Honoured to be asked," Rongar signed.

"It is quite something to be asked to help a man show his feelings to the object of his desire," Firouz agreed.

"When do you think they'll get married?" Maeve asked.

"Has he asked her yet?" Firouz asked.

"No, but he's bound to…" Maeve shrugged, sipping her rum.

"She say yes?" Rongar signed.

"Of course she will!" Sinbad said, protesting like Rongar was making an accusation.

"She has certainly accepted his advances with pleasure, but has she reciprocated?" Firouz asked.

"You should've seen them yesterday! They couldn't wait to be alone, almost started making out right in front of me," Sinbad said, pulling a face.

"Sinbad!" Maeve protested. "I'm sure nothing untoward happened! It's hard enough being an unmarried woman on a ship full of men without anyone starting rumours."

"I said almost!" Sinbad objected.

"Speaking of rumours, Firouz, any reason why there'd be a rumour going around the ship that Sinbad and I are… well I'll let you fill in the blanks," Maeve turned on the inventor.

Firouz grinned widely, completely unabashed. "Maybe because you two have been spending a lot of time sequestered behind closed doors… alone… together?"

"We have not!" Sinbad said.

Rongar raised an eyebrow at them.

"Well unless you count… But that's nothing…" Sinbad started, then muttered and eventually chose to stop talking.

"Alright, can you two keep a secret? You too Dermott," Maeve said, feeling there was only one way to salvage this situation.

Rongar and Firouz nodded vehemently- though one of them might have crossed his fingers behind his back.

"Bryn and Doubar tried to set us up with some notes supposedly from one another asking to meet. Then Bryn sent a wind to knock me into Sinbad, you saw that Firouz. Well, I was all for getting some good payback but Captain Romantic over here had a different idea;" Maeve nudged Sinbad to take over the story.

"I just thought it'd be nice for them to have a project together and since they were trying to get Maeve and I to admit to some kind of feelings anyway, I figured we could play along," Sinbad explained.  
"And I reluctantly agreed. So that is what has been going on behind closed doors. I even had to write a love-letter to myself because Sinbad was too lazy to do it himself," Maeve finished.

"Hey, I helped!" Sinbad said.

Firouz and Rongar shared a look, then looked back at the two on the other side of the table.

"I wish there was some test by which I could empirically measure the sanity of a person," Firouz said. "Or two."

Rongar nodded his agreement with his friend.

"Anyway, you know what I think we should do?" Sinbad asked, figuring a change of topic was the only safe way forward now.

"What?" Firouz asked.

"Let's make something, or do something for Doubar and Bryn together, to show them how happy we are for them," Sinbad said.

"Actually, that is not a bad idea," Firouz agreed.

"Like what?" Rongar signed.

"I could invent a…" Firouz was thinking furiously. "A bath made for two!"

The other three cringed, "yeah I don't think anyone would like to think of them naked together," Sinbad said.

"I have an idea," Maeve spoke up. "There's this isle not far from here, it has a wellspring in the very middle and legend has it that if a couple in love is holding hands while they drink from its waters will be happy forever."

Sinbad thought he caught a hint of wistfulness in her eye but too soon it was gone again.

"Sounds good, do you think you can point it out on a map?" Sinbad asked.

"Of course, now?" Maeve asked.

Sinbad drained his glass in a single gulp. "Why not?"

Maeve followed his example and drained her glass before following him out of the galley.

Firouz and Rongar turned to each other and made exaggerated kissy-faces to each other before erupting in infectious laughter.

* * *

Maeve bent over the chart-table, searching with her finger across the inked-in seas to find the isle she was after. Sinbad stood too near her, half his body bent over hers as he followed her finger skirt the map's service.

"You know you're a genius," Sinbad said, his mouth close to her ear.

"I am?" Maeve turned her face to his, her breath catching in her throat when she noticed just how close he actually was.

"Telling Rongar and Firouz half the truth… So we can spend time together without everyone making fun of us," Sinbad said.

"You saw how supportive the guys are about Doubar and Bryn, would it really be so bad if they knew?" Maeve asked.

Sinbad backed off a step, allowing her to turn around. "I feel like there is no good answer to that. I know you want me to say 'no' but… yes, I would really like to keep this thing between us, between us."

She took the step that he had backed away forward, casually leaning her body against his, her arms locked loosely around his waist. "The right answer is the truth, so you got it in one."

"Doesn't it bother you?" Sinbad asked, afraid that he was hurting her feelings by expressing his own.

"Believe it or not, the whole single woman on a ship actually means sailors do not shut up about me. I like having something for myself," Maeve admitted.

"If anyone bothers you…" Sinbad said, the threat evident in his voice but his arms snaked across her back, holding her a little tighter against him.

"Then I will handle it myself like I have always done," she pointed out.

"Why can't you accept you don't have to do everything on your own anymore?" Sinbad asked, perturbed.

Maeve stepped back a little, his hands settled on her hips, unwilling to give up the contact. "Why can't you accept that I am capable to do everything you can do?"

"Because you can't!" Sinbad said, his hands now balled into fists by his own sides.

"Name one thing!" She said, getting right in his face, and not in a good way.

Sinbad took a breath, then another one. He willed the muscles in his jaw and his hands to relax. "You can't pee your name in the snow," he finally said, trying to stop the argument before it got out of hand.

It worked, Maeve let out a low chuckle. "You're right about that… Though the next time we come across some snow I am going to try!"

He pulled her into a hug, placing a kiss on the side of her head. "I don't doubt it."

"You worry too much, now let's look at that map before someone comes in to see what's taking so long," Maeve said.

"Yes your highness," Sinbad mock-saluted her.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head at him.

For some reason Sinbad took it as a good sign that they could still fight at the drop of a hat, even though they had come to the understanding- well the understanding that was barely understood but was an improvement anyway. It had to mean they could take their unorthodox, yet loving friendship and build on it instead of having to re-invent the whole thing from scratch.

As much as Sinbad loved adventure and new experiences, he cherished the familiar.


	18. Ch 18 MJDai

**The Courting of Bryn - Chapter 18**

As they neared the island Sinbad didn't even need three guesses to figure what the two sorceresses were going to say next:

"Something's off on that island Sinbad," Maeve said.

"It just feels wrong somehow," Bryn added.

"You always say that!" Sinbad said.

"We're always right too," Maeve said, crossing her arms and looking challenging.

"What, you want us to turn back?" Sinbad asked.

"No! What are we, scared children? We just wanted to warn you," Maeve said, looking at him like _he _was the weird one.

"Oh, thanks," Sinbad said.

* * *

They had barely beached the longboat on the shore before a very attractive young woman crested a dune and came towards them. Sinbad stretched out his arms and shoulders in preparation.

"What are you doing?" Firouz asked him.

"Limbering up, I want to be able to catch her before she manages to kiss me," Sinbad said, sending a cheeky wink Maeve's way. She quietly bristled while Rongar silently laughed. Bryn and Doubar shared a look, something had transpired between the pair but neither knew what.

"To walk in your shoes for just one day…" Firouz said, recognising the distinct possibility that Sinbad would have to use those catching skills, though generally the women waited until they'd been saved from whatever they needed saving from.

"Yeah, it's pretty great," Sinbad agreed.

"Greetings strangers, I saw your ship and have come to warn you," the pretty woman said when she reached them.

"My name is Sinbad and this is my crew," he made his customary sweeping motion to encompass everyone. "Who are you and what are you warning us of?"

"I am Ikram, I live on this blessed isle. Or, it was blessed until we were beset by an evil. A man who had come to drink of our fount with his love, but before they could drink she collapsed and died. We tried to comfort him, but he was very angry. He spoke a few words and a tower resurrected over the fount. He has ensconced himself within and started taking any happy couple within sight… We have not seen them since," Ikram said, tears filling her eyes. "So turn away, sweet strangers. Our isle can serve you no longer."

"How about instead of turning away we have a go at this bereaved maniac?" Sinbad opted.

"But you could be hurt!" Ikram exclaimed.

"Better us than some peaceful farmers," Sinbad shrugged, patting his scimitar to get the point across that they were rather used to random adventures.

"Oh thank you!" Ikram said, launching herself into his arms.

Sinbad caught her just in time, keeping her at a- rather surprised- arm's length. "It's not you just… look over my shoulder, see that red-head? She'll roast me over a fire, the girl and the big guy next to her will keel-haul me and the other two will just laugh and make bad jokes while all this is going on."

"You could've just said you were married," Ikram said, looking at him strangely.

"Yes Sinbad, you could've just told her you were married!" Firouz laughed.

"Don't get him started about his wedding day, he won't stop for an hour!" Doubar added.

"You know, that roasting could still happen!" Maeve snapped at the sniggering foursome. With head held high she stepped up and slipped her arm through Sinbad's. "I think it's nice of you."

"Have I said something wrong?" Ikram asked.

"No Ikram, I apologise for my crew. How about you tell us more about this tower, then we can decide what we need to break into it and free your countrymen," Sinbad said, re-assuming his role as leader.

* * *

The crew sat around the only tavern's table, studying a sketched rendering of the tower while the publican supplied them with copious amounts of food and drink.

"Are you sure there's only one door?" Sinbad asked Ikram.

"Yes, we have scoured the isle to see if there was a secret tunnel, but we found nothing," Ikram told him.

"And you've never seen him come out?" Sinbad asked.

"No, he magically captures the happy couples that come within sight of his tower," Ikram said.

"Alright, so night would be the best time to attack, he won't be able to see our approach," Sinbad said.

"They don't call it the witching hour for nothing Sinbad, dark sorcerers are strongest at that time. I would suggest pre-dawn," Maeve said.

Sinbad nodded, taking her advice under advisement. "Right crew, listen up and tell me if you see a flaw in the plan: Rongar and Maeve climb the tower at pre-dawn and Firouz and Doubar hide in the tree-line at the same time. Dermott will be our eyes in the sky and give the signal. Bryn and I will wait until the sun is up and then amble up to the tower pretending to be a happy couple." Sinbad saw Doubar's eyes narrow at that but he went on regardless. "Bryn will let Dermott and Maeve know where we are and what the situation is. Maeve will give the Dermott the signal, then Rongar and Firouz will use an exploding stick to blow the front door while Maeve and Rongar rain fire and dirks from up high."

"Wait, why does Bryn have to go in?" Doubar protested.

"Because she's a better empath than Maeve and we'll need that to assess the situation from within, plus when you want to rain fire, Maeve's your best bet… And yes, I have considered putting you with her, but we need our two strongest men at the two entry points, Rongar up and you down," Sinbad explained.

"Well I don't like it," Doubar persisted.

"It'll be alright Doubar," Bryn said, laying a gentle hand on his arm. "I want to do this, to help these people."

"I don't like it when people take advantage of your goodness," Doubar muttered.

"Then I am glad to have you by my side to help me out when that happens," Bryn said.

"On a practical note, I don't think I can climb that tower," Maeve said, hating to admit it, but rather feel a little foolish now then ruin the whole plan while it was unfolding.

Sinbad nodded, looking at Rongar. "Can you?" he asked.

Rongar studied the sketch a moment, then nodded.

"Can you drop a rope when you're up there and help Maeve up?" Sinbad asked.

Rongar nodded once more and patted Maeve on the shoulder, wanting her to feel like they were in it together for this one.

"Should we not hold one of the sorceresses in reserve in case the evil one has laid traps and hexes us all?" Firouz suggested.

"Bryn, Maeve, what do you think?" Sinbad asked.

"I can barely control my own magic, undoing other's magic is beyond me," Bryn shrugged.

"Well it depends on the spells used… I would have to have my books and I would maybe be able to break them eventually… but by then the bad guy will have spelled me into oblivion already," Maeve said.

"Right, so no reserve it is," Sinbad said.

"I would recommend that every one of the teams has a few exploding sticks with them in case we come across more sturdy doors than foreseen," Firouz said.

"Good point, how many do you have?" Sinbad asked.

"Nine right now, I can make more if you give me some time," Firouz said.

"Nine will be fine, four for you, four for Rongar and one for me- maybe he won't find it when he captures us," Sinbad said. "Is everyone clear on the plan?"

The crew nodded. "Then it is time for bed, we have a VERY early morning," Sinbad said. "Ikram, is there room for us here, or do we make camp?"

"I have arranged for three rooms right here, will that do?" Ikram asked. She was very surprised to see this captain include the females of his crew so easily into his plan of attack. He couldn't love his wife very much if he allowed her to be in such a dangerous situation, could he?

"It will do fine," Sinbad nodded as he rolled up the sketch of the tower. "Off to bed, crew!"

"You can stop ordering us around now," Maeve said, with a little roll of her eyes. The others quickly left the table and made their way upstairs, recognising an argument in the making.

"But where would be the fun in that?" Sinbad drawled, enjoying the game of riling the sorceress up.

"The fun of not being roasted from the inside out," Maeve narrowed her eyes at him, enjoying this game as much as he did.

"The thing is," Sinbad meandered right into her personal space. "You threaten to roast me a lot, and so far all you've done is get me a little hot under the collar and let me tell you," he took his time looking her up and down, lingering at her cleavage before looking back into her eyes. "That has nothing to do with your magic."

"Goodnight!" Ikram shouted over her shoulder as she beat a hasty retreat. These people were weird!

"Oh look," Maeve said, tilting her head a little but making no move to create some more distance between them "You've scared away the girl."

"Oh dear," Sinbad said, completely unconcerned as his focus remained solely on the woman in front of him. His face was so close to hers that his nose lightly grazed against her skin; he tilted his face a little, sending his nose to caress her cheek. He felt more than heard the small gasp coming from Maeve at the contact.

Her hands bunched to fists in the fabric of his shirt. Her knuckles were almost as white as the cloth beneath them. She felt her knees becoming wobbly and her brain turning to pudding and the man _hadn't even kissed her yet._

"Sinbad," she said but her throat didn't cooperate. She swallowed convulsively and then cleared her throat. "Sinbad," she tried again, this time managing to get the sound out.

"Hmmm?" he said just before his lips found the sensitive spot on her neck behind her ear.

Maeve's eyes fluttered shut for a moment. With a supreme effort of will she pushed him back. "Oh! Sorry!" she cried out when she saw how hard she had really pushed him.

"What was that for?" Sinbad complained.

"It's just… you were… and I…" Maeve stammered, then noticed she was fanning herself with one hand and had to laugh at her own absurdity. "You're dangerous!"

"You were about to jump me, weren't you?" Sinbad had a definite glint in his eyes when he came to that conclusion.

"Pfah! I wouldn't… alright yes," Maeve admitted, because really, what did she have to lose?

"Interesting…" Sinbad said, eyeing her with _that_ look in his eyes again but keeping his distance.

"Yeah, I'm just going to see what room Bryn has picked for us. You know, go to sleep, as per the captain's orders," Maeve said.

"What? You're sharing with Bryn?" Sinbad asked, not happy about that for some reason. "What about the people here, they still think we're married!"

"But we're not," Maeve pointed out, liking the feeling of getting some power back after having been so thoroughly seduced.

"And I'm sure Bryn and Doubar would like the chance to… talk… all night!" Sinbad said, two steps below her on the stairs, a pleading look on his face.

"I'm sure they won't mind going downstairs to talk," Maeve said, grinning at him. "Bryn, what room?" Maeve said, her voice loud in the small hallway.

The middle door of the opened and Bryn's head popped out. "In here. Sinbad, you're with Doubar at the end."

"Good night," Maeve said sweetly, before closing the door behind her.

She turned around to find Bryn give her a pointed look. "I thought you two were fighting," she said.

"Only a little bit," Maeve shrugged, dropping down onto the bed to get her boots off.

"So why was Sinbad practically drooling just then?" Bryn asked, smelling a rat.

"Because he is a weird little man?" Maeve suggested, but off Bryn's look she amended her answer. "He was looking to collect the kiss he had foregone this morning. I let him know that I am not that kind of girl- sort of."

"So you're not mad at him for… declaring his lack of proper intentions?" Bryn asked.

Maeve had to think about that one for a moment because 1. she was keeping her relationship with Sinbad a secret 2. Bryn and Doubar were trying to get them together and 3. they thought the two were mad at each other… or something. "We made up," Maeve said eventually.

"So how did you do that?" Bryn asked, sitting down at the bed opposite Maeve, a look of polite interest on her face.

"Well last night, after Doubar took over the tiller, we all had a drink and then Sinbad and I talked and decided we'd be better off as uncomplicated friends," Maeve said, trying to think how that would come across to Bryn.

"Which is why he was trying to kiss you just now…" Bryn drawled, something was sooo not adding up.

"Oh come on, you know Sinbad kisses all his female friends! Don't tell me he's never pressed those lips on yours!" Maeve protested, trying to fluster Bryn.

"Well that was…" Bryn started to defend herself, then gave up because they were veering off point which she suspected was Maeve's goal.

"But that doesn't explain why he didn't kiss Ikram this morning," Bryn finally pointed out.

Maeve shrugged. "You're going to have to ask him about that. I just know Sinbad and I are in a good place right now."

"Does that mean you want Doubar and I to stop our meddling?" Bryn asked, all genuine concern.

"Look, it is as I told you, if he grows up I'd love to be with him. But I am not going to wait around. You and Doubar do what you want," Maeve said.

"We might be able to whip him into shape," Bryn winked at her. "I like having a project."

Maeve laughed: "Poor Sinbad, he won't know what hit him!"

* * *

It was pitch-black out when they gathered in the tavern's common room. Doubar had both hands on Bryn's shoulders, looking her in the eye as he admonished her to stay safe, be careful, not to take any risks and to stay in one piece.

She patiently promised him all that before tenderly kissing him and ordering to take his own advice.

Meanwhile Rongar and Maeve- who had donned pants for this occasion- had knotted the rope at regular intervals to aide her climb and were going over their part of the plan. Firouz was going over his exploding sticks, making sure they were safe and the fuses were long enough- he really hated not being there when these things were set off, it was so easy for it to go wrong and hurt someone!

"Crew, it is time to get into position," Sinbad finally said.

Bryn gave Doubar one last hug, while Sinbad clapped each of his crew on the shoulder. One by one Dermott and the two pre-dawn teams filed out.

"I hate it when we separate," Bryn admitted when no one was left but her and Sinbad.

"Me too," Sinbad agreed, his eyes still on the door where the people closest to his heart had just departed by.

* * *

Rongar and Maeve made it safely to the top of the tower where, as expected, a single hatch sat in the floor, leading to its interior. Rongar attached one of the exploding sticks to it and then the two sat down on the tower's flat top, waiting for Dermott to tell them to go.

Firouz was having some trouble out in the woods because Doubar was particularly fidgety and would probably give their position away.

The tower stood on a low grassy hill, the bed of the little creek the only interruption. Around the hill trees grew abundantly and in those the two were currently hiding. However, if someone in the tower was looking at the trees with any sort of night-vision, then Doubar's movement was not helping at all.

Firouz made calming signs with his hands, not daring to use his voice, but Doubar was paying him no attention so Firouz eventually quietly and carefully pushed Doubar into a sitting position. Thankfully the gentle giant did not struggle, finally seeing Firouz's concern- too distracted by Bryn's welfare to think much on his own.

Dermott circled the tower once when he saw Bryn and Sinbad arriving. This was the signal for the other two teams to be on alert.

Bryn and Sinbad entered the clearing, their arms around each other. They were laughing; the twinkle in Sinbad's eye making it obvious that it was one of his jokes that had set his pretend-lover off.  
Sinbad dropped his arm from around her waist and took her hand in his instead as he merrily hopped from one side of the little creek's bed to the other while she looked on, all indulgence and admiration.

Doubar gritted his teeth as he looked at the two of them. He knew there was nothing going on between them, but he couldn't help a stab of jealousy. But soon enough the jealousy evaporated when he felt an icy chill settle on his heart: the couple had winked out of existence.

Thirty seconds later Dermott made another pass around the tower, screeching as loudly as he could. Firouz and Doubar started running at the tower…

Rongar dove on top of Maeve, protecting her from the blast with his own body. Lucky for him Firouz had shaped the charge to explode downwards so the two were unharmed. Quickly they scrambled over to the hatch to see what was below.

Firouz and Doubar heard the blast above them just as they were sticking their own stick to the tower's door. Both took a couple of steps back and plugged their ears before the door blew open. They grabbed their scimitars and charged in.

Upon appearing inside the tower Bryn and Sinbad were immediately grabbed and tied to some gruesome looking contraptions. Dazed as they were from the transport they couldn't do anything to defend themselves still Bryn managed to get a message out to Dermott to come save them NOW.

"What is this?" Sinbad asked, his eyes again clear and observant.

"Don't worry boy, you will live on," the man in charge muttered, pulling back a curtain and revealing a corpse attached to the same sort of contraption Bryn and Sinbad were strapped to. "In her. Your life, your love, when I feed it to her, she will rise again!"

"So would this be a bad time to tell you I'm not in love with her?" Sinbad asked.

The mage's eyes narrowed but before he could react an extremely loud noise sounded through the tower, almost sending him to the floor.

"Intruders!" He hollered, but the soundwave had been amplified by the tower's structure so he, and everyone else inside, was pretty much deaf. Consequently he felt, rather than heard the next explosion.

The mage's minions, by the looks of them all reanimated corpses, were even more sensitive to the soundwave, their rotting limbs were being shaken off.

It couldn't have been more than five minutes, but to the deaf and captured Sinbad, it still felt far too long, before the ground-team, their scimitars dripping with gore, came rushing into the prison. On their heels the roof-team ran in, Maeve's hands still smoking.

Doubar cut the two prisoners free while Maeve faked a fireball to the left so Rongar had a clear field to slice the mage's head right off. Firouz dealt with the remaining minions.

Maeve and Rongar ran back out, having told Firouz and Doubar to stay with their deaf friends while they searched the tower for the other prisoners.

Sinbad and Bryn wrapped the beloved corpse of the mad mage in one of the curtains so they could take her out of the tower to get a decent burial. After a moment's hesitation they did the same for the mage- maybe in death they could be happy together.

The minion-corpses were quickly turning to dust. There would be no burial for them.

Maeve came back into the room and motioned them to follow her. Once outside they saw the happy couples who would have been forced to give up their life's energy for a doomed love, now hurrying to get away from the tower.

As soon as Doubar carried the remains of the mage out of the tower, the structure disappeared, leaving only the legendary well-spring.

No one felt the need to drink from there right at the moment, so they all trouped down to the village where they were welcomed as returning heroes.

That night the whole village came out to the spring to re-claim it as their beloved spot, no longer allowing it to be tainted by evil.

Though still deaf, Bryn could not be pried away from Doubar's side, even dancing with him to the music made by some villagers, completely trusting him to lead her through the unheard song. They eventually joined the queue of hand-holding villagers, waiting for their chance to drink out of this legendary fount. Bryn smiled through the whole night and Doubar's eye didn't stray from her for more than a few seconds: he epitomised the look of a man in love.

And late at night- so late that the sun was about to rise once more and barely anyone was left awake on the grassy slope, Sinbad nudged Maeve awake.

He held her hand, leading her to the gurgling well and looked at her.

She nodded.

Together they kneeled down and, still holding hands, drank.


	19. Ch 19 TiaKisu

The night was slowly waning, the first gray of the day melting into the horizon and heralding the nearing dawn.

Bryn lay wrapped in two blankets, huddled comfortably on the rich green grass that covered the gentle slopes near the fountain. All the night she had danced to a tune she couldn't hear, lead securely by the man who had shown her in so many ways just what she was worth in his eyes. He had let her feel the music that her still deafened ears had hardly heard – turning the mute song into the most beautiful one she knew.

Now she was watching the starlit sky grew pale, enjoying the warmth that still tingled in her veins. Quietly birds began to sing in the distance – a sound that felt almost precious to her after she had spent the evening in silence – and next to her she heard the deep and soft breathing of Doubar.

The two lay at a comfortable distance, close enough to still feel each other's presence yet with just as much space between them as to not start rabid rumours again. Although by now the majority of the crew seemed to have gotten used to the thought of her and the first mate growing closer, she still could do without the snickers and glances that without a doubt Doubar would have to endure if they were found snuggling in the morning.

Thus, she had resolved to just wish him sweet dreams when they had settled down for sleep, brushing a soft kiss against his left cheek when he had insisted she took his blanket while he would make use of the cloak he had brought along. For all she knew the first mate had quickly dozed off then, while she herself despite her best efforts had not been able to take a rest. Too many thoughts were still keeping her awake, too many feelings that she had yet to get used to.

The last few weeks had been almost overwhelming and at some point had even left her confused over the deeds of her own heart. When Doubar had first told her he liked her she had been flustered. Never had she expected him to be interested in her – not in that way anyway. But he had proven her just how serious he was about it and when he had indeed started courting her she had been no less than swept of her feet – just like he had foretold. He had made her gifts that were precious beyond measure, had protected her and offered her a refuge whenever she needed it. He had given her his heart of gold without ever asking anything in return, and the young brunette could not help but feel amazed by this. The rough sailor might not be the most handsome of men she had ever seen, and many would maybe frown at the gentle giant and the petite sorceress, but with each day that went by Bryn felt more and more how her own heart beat in tune with his. Her spirits lifted when he was around and she found herself seeking his company more often than she had ever done before.

Something was changing she knew, something had changed already. Doubar was not just courting her anymore, and he had no further need to win her over for he had already done so.  
She had not told him yet with words but as she lay there, revelling in the pre-dawn atmosphere and his proximity she knew that her feelings for him were unlike anything she had ever felt for someone else.  
He made her feel safe, made her feel beautiful.  
He made her feel precious.

He made her feel loved.

But more than any of those rather selfish reasons he allowed her to see who he really was. And it was this that she treasured. When she looked into those pale blue eyes of him he hid nothing from her – he invited her in, giving her more than she could have ever asked for.

And she loved him for that.

Even as she lay in the twilight of the ending night, she involuntarily turned her head slightly so that she could hide the flush that conquered her cheeks at this last thought in the blanket underneath her. Having no memory of her life before she stepped onboard the Nomad she didn't remember what it was like to be in love, or whether she had ever had been courted before. For all she knew this was the very first time that she felt for someone like she now did for Doubar and in a corner of her mind she silently prayed that her forgotten life did indeed hold nothing that would be able to compare to it. She wanted this to be special, wanted him to be the only one who would ever be able to make her heart beat faster and have her head burn with a sudden heat whenever she was close to him. Not even Sinbad had been able to evoke that reaction from her and somehow she was glad for that.

When she felt that the flush had left her face she let out a shallow breath. She definitely was doing too much thinking while she should have been taking a good rest. Curiously though, just as she was about to turn around and shift into another position, she noticed someone else stir, too.

It seemed she was indeed not the only one not sleeping.

Just a few feet apart from her Sinbad moved in his covers, whispering low words into the darkness that at first Bryn couldn't make out. Although her hearing had almost returned to normal she still found it hard to understand what was being said in such a hushed voice. But eventually she processed what her captain muttered.

He was asking Maeve whether she was awake.

Obviously the Celt did not immediately answer for telling from the soft rustle that followed Sinbad was then shaking her awake gently. For a second the young redhead must have looked at him confusedly because he quietly told her that all was okay and it was just him. And after another moment of silence both sailors suddenly rose from their spots, stealing short glances in their friends' direction before cautiously they left their makeshift camp behind.

"What do you think those two are up to?"

Bryn jumped slightly in her covers upon the sudden voice that reached her unexpectedly.

"Doubar", she breathed into the night, "I thought you were asleep." Slightly she tilted her head as to look at him when he answered:

"Nha, too many things on mind. Or actually, just one..."

While he said this, his pale blue gaze grazed her, sending an almost shy smile to her lips. Their friends knew not about it, but although they had joined the long cue of villagers who all wanted to drink of the wondrous fountain earlier that night, both of them had eventually resolved to not do so yet. The mood had been merry and they had been surrounded by happy couples, but somehow that was not what they wanted. Maybe it had been a tiny moment of doubt about where they stood in their relationship, or the wish for more privacy, but in the end they had left the fountain without having tasted its waters. And now it seemed they both had been kept awake by what had formed between them.

"You regret that we didn't drink from it?"

Bryn's voice almost broke when she asked him. For a reason that eluded her she had not even given much thought to that decision – had rather focused on the contentment she felt. But now she worried that for Doubar things were different and that he saw their choice as a bad sign.

The first mate however just shook his head and then turned to lie face to face with her. A glimmer suddenly appeared in his eyes and he grinned broadly when then he spoke:

"And who says we won't still do so anyway? We'll lie at anchor for another day or two – there's plenty of opportunity for it."

The young sorceress could hear the smile he wore even in his words, and she was grateful that both of them had the same view on the situation.

Releasing a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, Bryn drew the covers a little tighter around herself before she addressed him again.

"You think the two went to the fountain?"

Her forehead was wrinkled as she drew up her brows in deep thought. She wondered why Sinbad would wake their Celtic sorceress and disappear so secretly - just as if they planned to do something the others should better not get knowledge of.

Through the darkness she could see Doubar shrug faintly.  
"But that would mean he and the Lass finally sorted things out. Has Maeve told you anything of the likes?"

Now it was on Bryn to shake her head.

"Nothing, no", she began but then remembered something, "although... She's been behaving pretty odd last night. And so has Sinbad when I talked to him about his screw-up concerning the never-going-to-marry-her thing. I almost had the impression back then that he wasn't sure what to answer, as if he'd been scared of saying something wrong."

"Maybe he just didn't want to make things worse?", Doubar offered quietly.

"That's what I thought, too", the young one agreed, but then pinched her nose, "But when I think of it now..."

She didn't speak on but the first mate drew the conclusion nevertheless.

"You think they've been setting us up? They just pretend to still be caught in denial while they have already figured out they love each other?" His voice lowered a bit as he gave words to her thoughts. "But why would they do so? Wouldn't they just pay us back instead of playing a charade?"

Doubar sounded rather confused and Bryn had to admit she didn't quite understand it either.

"Not sure", she mused, "But where else should they have gone now? It's not like there was anything else lying in that direction – just the fountain."

"Quite true indeed. But that still leaves us with the question what sort of game they're playing."

In response to Doubar's reasoning Bryn suddenly smiled brightly. Maybe the answer was by far simpler than they thought.

"Maybe they like scheming with each other", she beamed at him. "And maybe they just want us to have some fun."

Doubar weighed his head slightly while he mulled over what she had just said.  
"Sounds like something my little brother would do."  
After a second he then added: "You think they realize that with their scheming against us we just get what we want?"

"You mean getting them together?" She almost couldn't stifle the laughter that formed in her throat, "No chance. I bet they're sure to be outsmarting us."

Doubar, too, chuckled then and rolled onto his back contently before he continued: "And what now? We just carry on - give them the pleasure of seeing us grow closer over setting them up?"

To his surprise, he felt the nod that Bryn gave him return graze his very shoulder. She, too, had shifted while he had, being now mere inches away from him.

"Sounds like a good plan", she said with a grin before sobering a little. Her velvet eyes lay on his face and when he let his gaze meet with hers, he saw the unspoken question in them.  
Unfolding his left arm he invited her to join him, wrapping it gently around her slender frame when she lay down beside him, using his shoulder as a pillow.

"And we should give them reason to think they are succeeding."

Her voice was filled with mirth as she spoke those words, but underneath that topmost layer there lay nothing than honesty and warmth.  
The young sorceress breathed in deeply as she settled down at his side, drawing in his scent which instantly enveloped her. Nowhere else and with no other person had she ever felt this safe, and she decided then and there that never again she would worry about getting rumours started. He was her haven and while Doubar drew her just a little closer, she relaxed visibly in his tender grasp.

Steadily she felt her heartbeat slow down and fall into an easy rhythm. Sleep was daring to claim her but before she slipped off into the embrace of guarded dreams she looked up at the first mate once more.

"You know what I am looking forward to?", she asked him.

Doubar had a feeling it had to do with his little brother and the Lass but he didn't know what she was aiming at exactly.

"The moment when they find out they drank from the fountain before we did."

The smile she then gave him, though tired, was somewhat evil and he couldn't help the snicker that escaped him at the thought.

"That will be quite a shock for them." For a moment he grinned to himself before suddenly he noticed something.  
"You wanna drink from it?"

His voice was husk and low, hopeful and yet cautious.

His pale eyes shimmered in the breaking dawn and when she nodded at him he whispered:  
"To live happily ever after?"

"Till the end of days."

She said it with a smile – her most beautiful one, the one she reserved only for him. And she poured all the sincerity of an honest heart into her words, inviting him in to see the truth in her own gaze.

Curtly Doubar blinked, and for a heartbeat it seemed there had been tears threatening to form in his fair depths, but as quickly as the moist appeared it was gone again – replaced by the brilliant glow of utter happiness.

"I would very much like that", he whispered before he bent down a little and placed a gentle kiss on top of her head.

Against his chest, the young one smiled. When she had woken up on Cayman's island these many years ago, without a memory and a home she would have never thought to once be blessed like this.

While around her the world was slowly waking in the light of a crimson morning sun, she let herself be claimed by slumber.  
In her dreams she was still dancing, moving to a soft rhythm in perfect harmony with the man next to her.  
And in her dreams she was seeking out the fountain with him, drinking from the crystal water to set seal on what her heart had already decided on...


	20. Ch 20 TiaKisu

The early morning birds were singing with anticipation when Sinbad and Maeve finally returned from the fountain. All around them the world was awaking to a new day. The air was sweet and held a trace of summer that melted into the breaking dawn and turned it into something of extraordinary beauty.

The captain and the sorceress walked in comfortable silence, each of them following their own train of thoughts. Barely an hour ago they had mutely agreed on something meaningful and although neither of them would ever regret what they had done, they could not quite grasp the full importance of their decision either. Drinking from the water that was meant to bring everlasting love and happiness wasn't something friends did, and it wasn't something one did with a fling either. The fountain was there for those who wanted to spend their lives together – those who knew had found the other half of their heart.

Those who were in love.

Sinbad knew this, and so did Maeve. And although they had never ever spoken openly about their feelings, they had both wanted to do this. Only, where it left them standing now, they did not know. And so they let the moments at the fountain replay in their heads – imprinting themselves deep into their memory, hoping that one day they would understand what it meant for their future, while slowly they made their way back towards their still sleeping friends.

When eventually they descended the slope which separated them from their make-shift camp, both their gazes settled on the group of sailors that rested close to the fire that had long burnt up. Rongar and Firouz were comfortably settled on carpets that they had brought from the ship while Dermott had decided to perch on a bough above them. The sight of the three alone could have made Sinbad smile with fondness but it was the image of Bryn and Doubar that let the young captain chuckle quietly.

"Now, would you look at them? Not a care in the world", he observed while prodding Maeve gently.  
Sinbad's blue eyes lay on the form of his brother who held the brunette sorceress in a tight embrace. Neither of the two was awake and yet they held onto each other, almost as if they did so consciously.

"You think it's the effect of the fountain water?", the young Celt answered him after a second. Her gaze shifted to focus on him and for a second there was just a tiny bit uneasiness in those velvet depths of hers.

"Don't know", he shrugged, "I would like to say they're just young and carefree, but Doubar is older than me, so…"

"Maybe that's exactly why."  
Her reply came swift and just as quickly did she tear his gaze from him again, looking back towards the sleeping couple instead.

Sinbad who didn't understand what she was aiming at, frowned and spoke the only thing that came to his mind that instant:  
"Huh?"

"He's practically raised you, and then lost you", she eventually explained, referring to the missing two years in Sinbad's life. "I think time might have a different meaning for him, and in truth it's us who are carefree – wasting it while maybe we should treasure it."

Her voice was calm, low, thoughtful and yet also insecure. On her lips a somewhat rueful smile formed while she spoke but then she shook her head as if trying to sober up. "Ah, I really must be tired. I start babbling nonsense."

Across her cheeks the faintest trace of a flush hushed and it was obvious she felt rather self-conscious about the musings she had just shared with him. Her mouth opening once more to speak out she aimed to distract Sinbad and herself from what she had just said, but Sinbad silenced her, taking up on her thoughts and continuing earnestly.

"No, I think you're right", he muttered, "He's lost so much time already, always looking after me. He should have found this long ago."  
While he said the last words, the young captain gestured towards the sleeping couple and let a small sigh escape his throat.

"But you're not to blame."  
Maeve shook her head gently, understanding what the sailor was aiming at and feeling the need to make him see the truth. But Sinbad just frowned.

"If it hadn't been for me", he expressed doubtfully, "we might have just settled in Baghdad and become merchants – he sure would have had a fine family there."

He really meant what he said. He'd thought about it so often before, it was a burden he carried and something he rarely ever spoke about. So when Maeve suddenly laughed his eyebrows rose and he turned to her with confusion written all over him.  
"You're an idiot, you know that?"

Her words had him huff slightly.  
"What?"

"If Doubar could hear you now he would talk some sense into you, but since he's indisposed I guess I will have to do that for him", she spoke and then looked him straight into the eyes.

"Sinbad, do you really think he would want that? It was his choice and he is happy with it. And besides, who says it would have turned out for the better? As rough as he seems and as strong, he's still the most innocent of all of us, well, safe Bryn maybe. Aye, maybe he would long be married by now, but who's to say that would-be-wife would have loved him and had not just been after a trusting husband she could take advantage of?" Her gaze softened as she saw him process her words. "Nah, sailor. He made all the right choices."

Sinbad nodded vaguely at her while he still was deep in thought. Maeve was right with what she said, this much he had to grant her. Doubar was still a big kid at heart, trusting too easily and being vulnerable in his wish to help and be there for others. He had already been betrayed bitterly once when Alana had played his game with him, and all Sinbad wanted was for his brother to be finally happy with someone he loved and who loved him in return.

Unconsciously his gaze flickered back to the camp and eventually it settled on the sleeping form in Doubar's arms.

"You think she loves him?"  
His voice was barely audible when he spoke the words. He knew Bryn, and trusted her. She had an air of honesty about her that made her be special and if truth was spoken he could not think of anyone better his brother could have fallen in love with. And still, despite all he knew he had to ask.

"Whether she…", Maeve sounded taken aback for a moment, but then she understood. Doubar was Sinbad's brother – best friend and father to him. And more than anything the captain wanted to make sure that he would have someone who was worth him.  
"Sinbad, if her gaze doesn't speak of love then I don't know what does", she eventually answered with all sincerity that she could muster. "Seriously, haven't you seen how she looks at him when he is near her – how her eyes brighten up and a smile plays in them that no one but he can bring forth? And actually", she suddenly paused for a moment before adding almost silently, "I would have thought you knew what a woman in love looks like."

"Hey! Those girls who constantly think that I was some prize they could win just by throwing themselves on me don't count. That can hardly be named love.", Sinbad instantly protested, pulling a face as he was so sure to know what the redhead was referring to.  
But much to his surprise she rolled her eyes; then added quietly: "I wasn't talking about those."

Again a slight flush conquered her cheeks and just for once she looked at him with her guard let down. Her brown orbs were directed on him and they let him all in, displaying a truth that she had never let him see that way.

Sinbad felt how his breath got caught in his lungs as he detected the same kind of sincerity in the sorceress' gaze that he also saw in Bryn's eyes whenever the brunette looked at Doubar.  
And then he understood.

His head moved in a nod while a tender smile settled on his lips.  
"They are perfect for each other" , he eventually said, his tone giving no hint as to who he was really referring to.  
His eyes lay on Maeve for a second, sparkling at her in the early morning sun and replying the smile that lay in her own depths, before he took her by the hand and lead her back to the camp.

"Come on, we should be back before the guys wake up", he whispered good-naturedly, earning a chuckle from her side.

"Can you imagine if Firouz finds out we were at the fountain?", Maeve endorsed with amusement, "We'd never hear the end of it."

Both, sailor and sorceress, noticed their mood change from thoughtful to more relaxed as they walked. As was their way for far too often, they had left many things unsaid and yet they had conveyed more to each other than they had ever done before.

"Especially after we've basically told him and Rongar that we're only playing along for Doubar's and Bryn's sake." Sinbad grinned and shook his head in amusement.  
He wondered for how long they would be able to keep up the charade, for how long they would refrain from talking about what they each felt inside, but for now that didn't matter much.

While the two of them quietly settled down again he stole another glance at his brother before he directed his gaze back at Maeve to see her smile back in return.

Maybe it would still need some time until they would be able to admit to anything, maybe their banters would still have to suffice for another while as their way of getting to terms with their changing relationship, but as he lay down just a few feet away from her and opposite to his brother he knew something for sure – something that he gave voice to in a content mutter:

"All the right choices indeed."


	21. Ch 21 MJDai

Doubar, Firouz and Rongar sat themselves down by the small campfire where Bryn was cooking lunch. They had just hauled two huge water casks from the ship, delivering them to Sinbad and Maeve to scour them clean and fill them again.

"Did you see Maeve and Sinbad last night?" Bryn asked, as she doled out equal portions among the four of them. "They went to the fountain together."

"Really?" Firouz drawled, trying to decide if he was going to play along with the game Maeve and Sinbad explained to them the other night or if he was going to blow the whistle on them.

"They're pretending not to be together by asking us for help to get them together," Bryn explained. "And we fell for it too, until last night. Last night was definitely not in the script!"

"Wait, really?" Firouz asked, now really intrigued. "I suppose it is easier to hide a lie in a half-truth, but what do they gain from this? Except for giving you two the opportunity to plot their romance of course."

"We have no idea how their twisted little brains work, they probably just needed an excuse to spend so much time together… And you have to give it to Sinbad, he would do anything to see his big brother happy," Bryn said.

"Even become happy himself," Doubar nodded. "Which is not to say we should not toy with them, having this new information."

"What do you suggest?" Rongar signed.

"I don't know, it has to be something good…" Bryn said. "Any ideas?"

"How about we tell Maeve that we saw Sinbad slink off with a woman last night? She won't be able to admit it was her without giving up the game, so she'll have to pretend to be mad at Sinbad, and if we make sure we accompany them so they're never alone… well then Sinbad won't have a clue why she's angry with him!" Firouz said, with a wicked smile on his face.

"Sounds like a plan! Bryn, you tell Maeve you saw Sinbad last night, Firouz, Rongar, we'll take turns making sure Sinbad is never alone. This should be fun!" Doubar said.

"I don't know… I don't want them to get really hurt…" Bryn said, not a pro-schemer just yet.

"Come on, if Sinbad got hurt every time Maeve got mad at him for some to him incomprehensible reason he wouldn't have a heart left," Firouz said.

"Good point… He really doesn't get women at all," Bryn said, then started making doe-eyes at Doubar. "Unlike his big brother."

"Right, I think this is our cue to leave. Come on Rongar, I think there are a few more casks that need to be brought down from the ship," Firouz said, getting up and giving Rongar a hand-up as well.

Doubar and Bryn didn't even see them go, too wrapped up doing their lovey-dovey thing.

* * *

The huge casks lay on their sides on the sandy beach, Maeve was just getting some more hot water when she noticed Sinbad was busy working on the bottom of the keg… The whole of his upper body had disappeared into the cask, only his delectable, leather-clad butt stuck out and Maeve remembered a certain ass-slapping incident that she needed to get him back for…


	22. Ch 22 MJDai

As Doubar and Bryn were making their way up the dune they heard some very odd noises coming from the other side:

"Ai!"

Bonk!

"My head!"

*Giggling* "Are you alright?"

"You just.. I'm gonna…"

Squeeeeeel!

Then a laughing Maeve came running down the dune, chased by a very determined looking Sinbad. Spotting Doubar and Bryn coming their way Maeve sprinted for the big guy, dodged behind him and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Save me!" She laughed. "He's gone insane."

"Settle down you two, we came to bring you your lunch," Doubar said, feeling an odd flashback from when Sinbad was a child. Scary how easy it is to slip back into being a parent, or maybe not so scary after all.

Sinbad straightened, deferring his pay-back for now. Maeve relaxed a little, but kept a sharp eye on any sudden moves.

"What was that about anyway?" Bryn asks as they walk back to the casks on the beach, Maeve making sure to keep Doubar between her and Sinbad.

Sinbad's hand flew to his butt and then just as quickly drew his hand away. "She uh… She startled me, made me hit my head on the cask," he said, throwing Maeve a look that spoke of the horrors to come if she were to tell exactly how she'd startled him.

"I'm sure she didn't do it on purpose," Bryn said, ever the peacemaker, even when they were instigating a fight between them in just a few moments.

"Oh she did it on purpose alright," Sinbad said, still eyeing her darkly.

"I didn't know you were going to hit your head!" Maeve protested half-heartedly, having too much fun at his expense to really put some feeling into her own defence.

"Well anyway," Doubar interjected before the two would go into one of their bicker-fests they were so well known for. "Here's your lunches."

"You didn't make these did you?" Maeve eyed Doubar warily.

"I did," Bryn said, smiling because Doubar's cooking really wasn't safe. "I tried something new with it, do you like it?"

Maeve tasted Bryn's offering and nodded. "Yeah, 's good. Come to think of it, I've seen some herbs growing around here that we should really try and gather before we set sail." Maeve said before starting to shovel the food into her mouth at breakneck speeds. The sooner she'd finished, the smaller the chance Sinbad was going to mess with her food somehow.

But because her attention was on Bryn and on the food, she only noticed Sinbad creeping up on her out of the corner of her eye when it was too late.

She screamed when he grabbed her from behind, both arms around her waist and hoisted her up. "Sinbad! Stop it!"

In three steps he was standing knee-deep in the sea and with a big splash, dropped her in. She managed to grab one of his feet while she was down there though and pulled him off balance, making him fall into the water with her.

Doubar and Bryn watched an epic water-fight develop, tutting over the language the two supposed adults were using between peals of laughter.

"Is this what it is like to have children?" Bryn asked Doubar, her hand on his arm.

"He was much better behaved as a child," Doubar defended his parenting skills.

"I don't know, I kind of like their free spirits," Bryn said. "What do you think our kids will be like?"

Though they had reached a certain understanding the night before Doubar still felt the wave of warmth that went through him every time she gave a renewed indication that she was in this for the long haul.

"I think our children will be perfect and I think they will continuously be led astray by their children," Doubar said, not doubt in his mind that his brother's children and his own would make one, tight-knit family.

"Yes," Bryn agreed, watching the water-fight lose most of its energy as its two warlords were getting tired and noticing just how enticing the other looked. "Though by the way those two carry on, we're probably going to have a LOT of nieces and nephews. If we start before them, we can set them up as head of the whole unruly mob."

Her dark eyes were brimming with a salacious humour that Doubar had only recently found out about her, and loved about her the moment he noticed. "I can't argue with that logic," he said, turning his full attention away from the water and onto his lady-love. Good thing too as the two water-logged lovers touches were becoming less-warlike by the second and more amorous.

Doubar could feel his heart speeding up as he leant down to kiss Bryn, planning to never stop. He blinked just once and she was gone. He looked around and saw that a dripping wet Maeve had taken Bryn by the bicep and had dragged her away, putting a scrub brush in her hands.

"Come on you lovebirds, we don't have all day, you can make googly eyes all you want when the work is done," Maeve brightly said, apparently not aware that she wasn't the picture of professionalism herself at the moment.

Bryn shot a forlorn look at her beau, inwardly steaming that she wasn't being thoroughly kissed by now. Oh yes, she would have her revenge on Maeve and Sinbad yet.

Sinbad slapped his big brother on the back. "The sooner we get to it, the sooner you'll have her back," he said, just as brightly as his paramour.

Doubar couldn't wait to start their scheme.


	23. Ch 23 TiaKisu

As soon as they had crossed the dune, Bryn and Doubar made sure to leave a little distance between each other and consequently the captain and the Celt. While the two women strode ahead, the brothers lacked behind a bit, strolling at a comfortable pace and eying the shrubs lazily.

Just a few moments before Maeve had given them a short introduction to what kind of herbs she was searching for but somewhere between the mentioning of marigold and buttercup they had lost trace of all the plants that the redhead was interested in and so the two men refrained from sampling anything else but chamomile, which at least they knew to recognize.

Their hands still being rather empty, Doubar and Sinbad were engaged in a rather innocent conversation, the older man just waiting for a sign of his partner in crime that their scheming was starting.

A few feet in front of him, Bryn picked some young myrrh with skilled hands, making sure the plant itself would not be harmed too much and could still grow to its normal height. While she added the fresh twig to the already large compilation of herbs in her arm, she turned her gaze to Maeve who adeptly scanned the ground beneath their feet. The Celtic sorceress' attention was all drawn to the multitude of flowers and bushes around them, a sparkle still in the brown of her eyes and a small smile evident on her lips.

"So", the brunette eventually ended the silence between her and the other woman, "What was that really about then? This little war you and Sinbad just fought?"

Her voice was light and she made no effort hiding her amusement about what she and Doubar had witnessed so shortly before.  
For a second, Maeve froze upon the mentioning of the incident, knowing full well that her recent pay-back for the butt-slapping incident this many years ago wasn't exactly fitting into their whole we're-still-only-friends-and-just-playing-along-fo r-Doubar's-and-Bryn's-sake concept. However, since as far as the first mate and the brunette were concerned, Sinbad and Maeve were indeed growing closer thanx to their friends scheming, she decided a little bit of truth wouldn't really hurt when talking to the only female friend she had onboard.

"Oh, I just came back on Sinbad, really", she started, still a grin on her face, "Let's say, he had a funny way of encouraging me to use my magic when we first met, and I finally paid him back – helped him to increase his skills in scrubbing the casks."

The redhead's eyes glimmered almost with mirth, telling of how content she really was with the outcome of her little revenge. She knew she should have felt just a tiny bit sorry for Sinbad, whose head had hit the insides of the cask he was working on quite roughly, but she couldn't help but feel that somehow he deserved it.  
A soft chuckle escaped her throat as she recalled the look that the captain had given her after clambering out of the keg, rubbing his sore occiput and trying to glare at her (at which he miserably failed because he was way too stunned to pull a decent angry face).

Bryn, who had hardly ever seen her fellow sorceress be this carefree and happy, couldn't help an amused giggle as well. And while secretly she wondered whether her friends' almost childish behaviour might indeed be caused by the fountain water, she tilted her head slightly, seeking the other woman's gaze.

"Seems that worked out then", she remarked with an obvious dose of humour in her voice before clearing her throat a little. "You and Sinbad making progress then?"

She knew that she was hitting a sore spot, the moment Maeve's smirk died in reply to this simple question. For a second the Celt frowned, obviously choosing well on what to say until finally she answered cautiously but with more honesty than she had intended.

"He's still the same sailor, and sometimes he's more of a kid than Doubar will ever be. I don't know if forever will ever be an option to him, but", she took a short breath; "we get along."

A shrug passed her shoulders then, and she turned away a little too hastily, hoping to end this conversation before it would really begin. But Bryn had no intentions of letting her get away so easily, especially since the Celt had given her the perfect reason to bring up Sinbad's nightly stroll.

Tensing ever so slightly, the brunette adjusted the herbs she carried and casually turned to look over her shoulder and lock gazes with Doubar.

Pale blue and brown met only for a split second, but the message still was clearly written in each of their eyes.

_The game was about to begin. And they would both enjoy playing it._

While Doubar sent the young one an almost imperceptible nod – which he made sure neither of their victims could notice – Bryn returned her attention to where Maeve just knelt down to pick one of the herbs that grew there. Almost hesitantly she then approached the Celtic lass, crouching low beside her and doing her best to appear troubled and insecure about speaking up.

"Maeve", she eventually half-whispered before she touched the other woman's arm with her free hand, "I think there's something you need to know."

Just like she had expected it, the redhead halted in her movements for a moment, the little wheels in her head instantly starting to spin at top speed while the Celt tried to figure out what was to follow that first sentence.

If Bryn's voice was anything to go by, the brunette was just about to reveal something unpleasant, and somehow Maeve was rather apprehensive as to what kind of news that would be.

"What is it?", she finally managed to bring out, sounding rather wary all of a sudden.

Bryn in turn took an audible and shaky breath, just as if she was fighting with herself whether to really spill the beans or not, before she looked at her friend in sympathy.

"Firouz. He saw Sinbad wander off with a woman last night, while we all were sleeping." The brunette's eyebrows furrowed visibly while speaking. "As it seems, they were heading towards the Fountain."  
The young one's hand remained settled on the pale upper arm, and she squeezed it gently before she added an apologetic: "I'm sorry."

For an instant or two, silence then fell between the two women like a heavy blanket. Bryn knew that their original plan had been to tell Maeve that she, herself, had seen Sinbad wander off but soon enough she had reckoned that this would give the Celt an opportunity to safe herself from the scheming and just admit that it had been her and that she and Sinbad had just talked some things through that night. If Firouz however was the one who saw them, then things were entirely different. Because towards the inventor and Rongar Sinbad and Maeve still defended their status as friends-only, and even something as seemingly innocent as a nightly walk would have blown that façade. No, with Firouz being the one who acclaimed having spotted Sinbad the two were bound to play along.

Bryn knew this, and so did the Celt.

The sharp intake of air that came from the redhead as she heard her friend's words proved just how well chosen this change in strategy was, and for a second Bryn had to fight hard not to let an amused grin conquer her features.

"Is… is he sure that it was him?"

When Maeve finally replied, her voice was slightly shaky. The shrub she had just been working on slipped from her slender fingers and almost would she have let the other herbs drop, too, but just in time avoided them to fall from where she had piled them in her crooked left arm. In her head, the redhead frantically tried to figure out what to do now, and automatically she turned her head to stare at Sinbad who was still blissfully unaware of this new development in things.

"It was fairly dark", Bryn eventually continued, her hazel gaze now following her friend's, "But he is certain. I guess it was the whole celebration, the music and wine… I don't think Sinbad wanted to hurt you. Surely enough he didn't even think it through. I mean…" The brunette let a defeated sigh slip from her lips before she offered a little helplessly: "You know what he's like at times. But he never means ill with it. He's just not thinking things through."

All the while, Maeve still pinned Sinbad with her gaze, foolishly praying for a miracle to happen – something like a sudden mind-to-mind connection or anything the likes that would enable her to discuss with him just how she was supposed to react right now. She could clear it all up, she knew, but that would mean admitting something that Sinbad and she had yet to really come to terms with themselves so telling the truth was no option at all. But if that wasn't then what would be? Frantically, she tried to get an overview over the current state of their scheming.

Doubar and Bryn believed that they were helping Sinbad and Maeve to realize the feelings they held for each other, and hopefully grow closer in the process.  
Firouz and Rongar believed that just this growing closer was nothing but a charade, kept alive because the captain and DimDim's apprentice wanted to do Bryn and Doubar a favour, and help them bond over trying to get the other two to admit to anything profound.  
And from all four of them, Sinbad and Maeve tried to hide the fact that they indeed were making some progress in their ever so confusing relationship.

But now, where did that leave her in this situation? Her auburn eyebrows by now having reached her hairline almost, the Celt puffed her cheeks, thankful that her intense thinking would go by as "letting the news sink in" by the other sorceress next to her. Then she made a decision.

If she really wanted to buy her and Sinbad some time, she'd better play along for the moment and then try to talk with the sailor as soon as she could.

"Does Firouz have an idea who that woman was?"

There was an edge of curiosity to Maeve's voice as finally she spoke, but she made sure that it was tinted with a with a good dose of annoyance.

Giving her friend her best sympathetic look, Bryn shook her head weakly.  
"He's not sure, but he guessed it might have been this Ikram who we met in the day before." Then, suddenly becoming truly concerned their little game might have unwanted consequences for the woman who really had nothing to do with it, the brunette added: "But you're not gonna go and turn her into a toad now are you?"

"If anything, then I'll turn _him _into a toad", Maeve instantly snorted, making a mental note to herself to actually keep this in mind as a possible solution for any future situations in which Sinbad was genuinely being a prick (and heaven only knew he could be the epitome of one at times).

Right as if on command, in the very second in which the Celt had uttered this, the captain's gaze grazed her own, his blue eyes widening the tiniest bit upon seeing the faked exasperation on her face. But before he could even begin and ponder about it, he got prodded by Doubar who unbeknown to him made damn sure that Sinbad and Maeve would have no chance of conspiring.

So while the captain got distracted by his brother, Bryn tended to their other victim again, shifting slightly on her spot and thus drawing Maeve's attention towards herself.

"So, what do we do now?", she asked hesitantly, "Should Doubar talk some sense into him? I know he'd do it for you. You're like a little sister to him."

The mentioning of what the first mate regarded the redheaded sorceress to be elicited a warm smile from both women, and while Bryn was sure that – multiple layers of scheming or not – Maeve would never accept such offer she also was aware that the proposal itself would further lead the Celt into believing that Bryn and Doubar really had no clue who that woman Sinbad went on a walk with had really been.

And just like she had anticipated, Maeve shook her head in response, throwing her friend a troubled look before she sighed.  
"That's between him and me. And although I appreciate your concern, I better deal with that on my own."

For another moment then the Celt just glanced at the brunette, her eyes unreadable to the other woman. But then, suddenly, something flashed in those deep brown orbs and Bryn felt herself wonder slightly about the expression. Albeit it still held a certain annoyance to it, there also was a trace of mischief now that she couldn't help but notice no matter how well the redhead tried to hide it.

But what she could not know was that Maeve had just decided to have a little fun on her own. If indeed nobody knew that she had been Sinbad's company, and if they expected her to be upset about the news then she could just as well play her own game. It would certainly be amusing to see the Nomad's captain be confronted with an angry sorceress, first having no clue as why she was and then being trapped because just like she he could not clear things up without giving them away. And once they were alone again she could just explain everything to him and they could make new plans as to how to behave, but for now she decided to make the most of it.

And thus she rose, ready to give Sinbad a piece of her – supposedly disappointed – mind.


	24. Ch 24 MJDai

Maeve squared her shoulders, lifted her chin and ignited the fire in her eyes. With little fanfare she shoved the herbs she was carrying into Bryn's arms, not even looking if the woman had taken hold of them before stomping away.

"Sinbad!" She said loudly, aware that she was performing so injecting a little more dramatic flair into the whole thing than was strictly necessary. "You don't owe me anything, you haven't made me any promises! But you let the people of this village believe we were married and then you sneak off in the middle of the night with one of their women! It makes me look like a fool!" She put her best frowny face on while trying not to laugh at his surprised look.

"But… I didn't…" Sinbad stammered, trying to figure out what she was talking about.

"I thought I meant more to you than that! And don't try to deny it, Firouz saw you sneaking off with her!" Maeve shouted.

"I wish Firouz and Rongar were here to see this," Doubar said, out of the side of his mouth, to Bryn.

"Dermott's gone to get them," Bryn said, just as quietly.

Sinbad finally seemed to have cottoned on to what he was being accused of. "Well you know," he said, in his most placating tone of voice. "It was a hard night last night. I'd been locked up by a crazy warlock, I couldn't hear anything, so I couldn't dance or have a conversation with anyone… That lead to drinking too much and you know…"

"No, I don't know, what exactly does drinking too much lead to?" Maeve asked, hands on her hips and eyes flaring.

"I was lonely! What was I supposed to do? You've made it perfectly clear you're not going to put out until you've killed Rumina!" Sinbad said, but from the narrowing of her eyes and the real glare she was now sending his way he learned that that was the wrong thing to say.

"You have got to be kidding me! So you're saying that until I submit myself to be a slave to your urges you will go around getting satisfaction wherever you feel like?" She asked, the anger in her voice now real.

Sinbad didn't know what to do, on the one hand he needed to tell her, to remind her in fact, that there _hadn't been another woman_ on the other hand he needed to convince Doubar and Bryn that there had been. He struggled to calm down, sort his thoughts before answering her. "Maeve, you know me, you know that I am a man of my word and that when I have made a commitment to someone I will go to the ends of the earth to honour that commitment but," now he tried to point to Doubar and Bryn with just his eyes so that the twosome couldn't see. "But I haven't made such a commitment to you, so you really don't have anything to be angry with me about."

Maeve visibly calmed down until she remembered to keep up the act. "Except that these people here think we're married! Which was YOUR doing! You could at least afford me the respect of keeping it in your pants for just this one island!"

"Woah! Who said anything about pants?" Sinbad said, not wanting anyone to think he was back to his old ways.

"So you didn't get into her pants?" Maeve asked, her eyes narrowing as she faked trying to make out if he was lying.

"I was just getting my hearing back, we just talked," Sinbad said, omitting the kissing that had been going on last night because he knew that had happened, and Maeve knew that had happened, but Bryn and Doubar did not need to think that had happened with some stranger. "And I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings." He said, looking her straight in the eye to show her that he meant it.

Maeve melted a little as she heard the sincerity in his voice. She smiled at him, shaking her head a little. Leave it to them to have an honest conversation while in the middle of a pretend fight. "Thank you, that means a lot. I'm sorry that I yelled at you."

"Yeah well, next time I would appreciate it if you came to talk to me instead of just yelling accusations," Sinbad said.

"Come to think of it, it was Bryn making the accusations…" Maeve said.

As one Maeve and Sinbad wheeled around to face the brunette… At the same moment Rongar and Firouz came rushing up to them.

"What did we miss?" Firouz asked excitedly, looking from one pair to the other, apparently not a master of subterfuge.


	25. Ch 25 MJDai

**The Courting of Bryn - Chapter 25**

"Maybe we shouldn't hang the herbs in your room," Maeve said seeing all the still-living roses taking up most of the available surfaces.  
"Your magic is keeping all these blooms alive, and I want to dry these."

"I just wish I knew how I did it," Bryn said with a shrug, not feeling like getting into that heavy topic right now.

"You could always start a vegetable garden in here!" Maeve said brightly, picking up on Bryn's reluctance.

"That's not a bad idea actually," Bryn smiled gently. "I can use all the things you burn for fertilizer."

"Yeah, yeah, you guys all complain like I set the ship on fire every other day," Maeve grumbled. "Come on, we'll hang these in my room."

"Hey Maeve, you know I'm just messing with you right? I'd never say anything that I thought would actually hurt you," Bryn said, her gentle spirit uneasy with the idea that she could have hurt her friend.

"I know, we all mess with each other. Like today with you and Doubar trying to get me to blow up at Sinbad and it getting turned on you instead. Too funny! I guess it's a family thing, we all get to mess with each other but we stop before it actually hurts and if someone outside the family tries it they get all of us in their faces," Maeve said.

Bryn got a little teary eyed at that. "Does that make us sisters?"

Maeve looked surprised, she had not meant it to be some kind of grand statement but quickly realized that this girl had no one and nothing in the world except the Nomad's crew and everyone needed to be loved. She embraced her new sister. "Of course. We need each other with all those blokes about."

Bryn revelled in the warm feelings the hug and those words inspired in her. She hadn't even known how much she craved the unfailing love of family but now that she had it she was not letting it go.  
Doubar would be her family soon, he had manoeuvred his way into her heart and now she couldn't wait for it to be made official but there was something about having brothers and sisters that struck a whole other chord in her.

"We'll have to trade off on being little sister and big sister because I have no idea how old I am," she said, trying to lighten up the situation, embarrassed by her multitude of feelings.

Bryn was surprised when she saw Maeve quickly wipe at her eyes as well when the two separated.

"You know what I always wanted a sister for?" Maeve asked, shaking off the heaviness of the situation.

"What?" Bryn asked suspiciously. It had to be something along the lines of a Chinese burn, hadn't it?

"Play dress-up! Come on, I've got a whole box of dresses some queen gave me," Maeve dragged Bryn along to the other cabin. The herbs lay forgotten in Bryn's cabin, which was alright, they'd stay alive anyway.

* * *

Bryn self-consciously smoothed down the long skirt of the dress Maeve had picked out for her; she had never worn something this fine in her entire remembered life. The fabric shimmered and flowed like water around her and the cut accentuated her figure without trying to alter it.

"You look so beautiful!" Maeve exclaimed. "You have to let me do your hair, oh and I have some cosmetics in there as well. Go on, sit down."

Bryn let all the attention wash over her, she'd never really thought that much about her appearance, but right now she truly believed she was beautiful. It was hard to think otherwise with such a dress on and her friend, _sister_, fussing over her like that.

"I wish we had a looking-glass, you really have to see what you look like right now," Maeve said, looking incredibly satisfied with herself as though she had summoned Bryn's beauty into being herself.

"Never mind that, you haven't picked out a dress!" Bryn protested.

"I am beginning to suspect that you didn't want a sister so much as a doll you could dress up."

"I've never been anything but an older sister, bossing siblings around is second-nature to me," Maeve grinned.

"Yeah well, as I said, I have no idea how old I am, so right now I am assuming I am older and I get to boss you around!" Bryn grinned right back before getting up to rummage in the chest full of dresses.

"Alright, but if you are picking something out for me I want something I can dance in. You know, a skirt that will fly around me as I twirl!" Maeve said, doing a little twirl on the spot.

"Are you going dancing tonight?" Bryn asked over her shoulder, still crouched by the chest of dresses.

"Yeah, the villagers wanted another celebration and I want to practice those dances I learned last night," Maeve said nonchalantly.

"And teach them to a certain sailor who shall not be named?" Bryn asked. "He was deaf last night after all."

"I don't think I am up to teaching them yet, that particular sailor can find some old woman who will lead him through the steps," Maeve said, trying to sound innocent.

"Or, knowing that sailor, a beautiful young woman will grab him and not let him go the whole night," Bryn teased.

Maeve was spared from replying because Bryn pulled a dress out of the chest. "Here, try this one!"

* * *

Just as Bryn stepped back to admire her work on Maeve's hair and face someone knocked on the door.

"Oh no! It must be dinner time! I can't go out like this!" Bryn panicked.

"Of course you can! You look great, now open the door," Maeve ordered.

"And back to bossy," Bryn grumbled but did open the door, feeling a tad sheepish as she did so.

"By Allah and his prophet Mohammed, you look beautiful!" Doubar gasped when his eyes fell on Bryn.

"Stop it, you're making me blush," Bryn beamed at him.

"May I escort you to dinner my lady?" Doubar offered her his arm.

"You may," Bryn lay her arm on his and let him lead her out, feeling like she was walking on clouds.

To her surprise he didn't lead her to the galley but off the ship and onto the beach. "Where are we going?" She asked.

"You'll see," he cryptically said.

Soon Bryn saw something on the beach: A little table draped in a white table cloth, where Rongar was just lighting a candle before spotting them and darting away out of sight.

"Is that for us?" Bryn asked.

"It is," Doubar nodded, and produced a single red rose seemingly out of nowhere, holding it out to her. "Do you like it?"

Ignoring the rose Bryn jumped into his arms instead. With a laugh he caught her, holding her close to him with one hand until he could deposit the rose in a little vase on the table. "I'll take that as a yes."

She peppered little kisses all over his face. "One day you will have to explain to me what it was that I did to deserve all this."

"I keep telling you, just being yourself is enough," Doubar said, helping her into her chair.

On cue Sinbad and Rongar appeared carrying another table between them, this one laden with all kinds of food. They put the table down on the beach next to Bryn and Doubar.

"Thanks guys," Bryn said, her smile wide and open, no longer embarrassed to be wooed so openly.

"You look beautiful Bryn," Sinbad said, Rongar nodded his agreement. "Now because I know you two are ever vigilant when it comes to who I talk to after the sun sets I just thought I'd let you know that I am going dancing in the village tonight. I will probably dance with Maeve at some point, please refrain from reading too much into that, I will also dance with various other women if they're so inclined, don't read anything into that either. Enjoy your dinner, you two!"

With that Sinbad and Rongar walked away, back to the village where the party was about to start. About halfway there they met up with Firouz and Maeve.

"Based on my calculations, factoring in breeze, angle of sunset, glare, decrease in temperature and blowing sands, I have to insist that that really is the perfect dinner spot!" Firouz argued.

"You forgot one factor though," Maeve looked smug and winked at Sinbad and Rongar when they approached.

"What?" Firouz questioned, sure that he had gone over everything.

"The tide, it's coming in, they'll have wet feet in two hours," Sinbad supplied the answer.

Firouz looked thoroughly bummed out. "Should I go back and re-calculate the ideal spot to have a beach dinner on?"

Rongar clapped him on the shoulder and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it Firouz, Doubar has never in his life took over two hours to have a meal so I think we'll see them at the dance soon enough, that is, if they don't steal away to be alone somewhere," Sinbad waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Sinbad!" Maeve protested. "A little decorum!"

"What?" Sinbad turned to Firouz, hoping that the scientist had the answer to what he had done wrong this time.

Rongar took this opportunity to sign to Maeve that she looked lovely and she wanted to dance the first dance with him.

"I'd love to dance with you Rongar," Maeve smiled brightly.

This sure got Sinbad's attention real quick. "You look absolutely stunning Maeve," he said, not to be outdone by his friend.

"I know, right?" Maeve said excitedly. "And look!" She twirled around and her multi-coloured dress shimmered and flashed like a rainbow.

"You're not supposed to agree that you look great!" Sinbad complained. "There's a whole etiquette to this stuff."

"Well I do look great, and you know nothing about etiquette anyway," Maeve said, enjoying their nonsensical argument.

They squabbled some more as they followed Rongar and Firouz to the dancing grounds. When they were almost there Sinbad held her back a moment.

"Can I have the last dance?" he asked, his voice now low and and soft, hitting her right where he intended.

"Just the last?" She asked.

"Well I'd ask you for every dance but just think of all the questions we'd have to answer…" He said. "How about this; the last dance at the very least and every other dance we can get away with."

"Deal," she smiled at him, enjoying the moment.

"Oh and Maeve," Sinbad said, just before she walked away to join Rongar. "You look absolutely, heart-stoppingly, breathtakingly, gorgeous."


	26. Ch 26 MJDai

The dancing was in full swing, little lights flickered everywhere, and big torches were placed strategically around the grounds, giving everything a warm, golden glow. The music was great, the musicians really know what they were doing, pouring their hearts out through their instruments, alternately whipping up the crowds before them into a frenzied rush and calming them down to barely perceptible crawl. Sinbad stood off to the side, quietly sipping his drink and taking it all in. He could see Maeve being expertly led by Rongar, though the moor had had only a day to learn this dance that sounded to foreign to Sinbad's ear.

"If those two have a child it will become a king of Egypt," an old woman appeared next to him and followed his line of sight. "But they will not have a child, so Egypt has nothing to worry about."

"How do you know?" Sinbad asked, intrigued by this brazen lady.

"I am old but I have the use of my eyes and my ears and my wits. I hear and I see and what I hear and what I see I puzzle all together until the picture becomes clear. And then I add a spicy detail or two to make life more interesting." Her eyes twinkled with mischief and Sinbad found himself liking the old lady. "Come, you are a handsome young man, you should dance."

"I would love to dance, but I don't know the steps to this one," Sinbad answered honestly.

"That is because it is not from around here. That is what happens on an isle like this; people come from far and wide to drink our waters and then they want to dance to celebrate their love. So they teach us the dances from where they come from and we help them celebrate. This is a mazurka, it is simple, come I will show you," she held out her hands palms down so he took them into his own but she shook him off.

"No, no, look at my hands, look at the pattern. It goes ma-zur-ka, ma-zur-ka, see?" she moved her hands in patterns of three.

"Like this?" Sinbad asked, repeating the pattern back to her.

"Yes, like that. Now, dance form. You put one hand on my back, right in the middle, a little below my shoulder blades. Feel how I lean into it a little? That's so I can feel where you want me to go. My hand goes on your shoulder and the others we clasp together. Always start in the direction of our clasped hands. Now go boy, dance," the lady told him.

Sinbad listened to the music and at what he deemed the appropriate time he started moving. His teacher moved with him and for about three beats it went very well. Then he stumbled into another dancing pair.

"You lead, so you look out," his teacher ordered him. "If I see something to bump in to behind you I will tap your shoulder."

Sinbad was light on his feet and had a good sense of rhythm so this slow dance he soon had the hang of. He beamed proudly at his teacher who grinned back at him. "Listen to the music boy, you're going out of step."

The next dance was a circle dance. His kind teacher quickly explained the repeating pattern of steps to him and told him he could learn as he danced. He hesitantly led the old woman through the steps and when the pattern was about to repeat he found another woman on his right hand and led her through the steps. Soon he relaxed and started to enjoy seeing a different face every other minute. He smiled as he saw Maeve take hold of his right hand while the circle moved inwards and back out twice and clapped appreciatively while the women let go of their partners and danced into the centre of the circle and back again, then it was the men's turn to move to the centre of the circle, letting a whoop of joy when they reached it and then turning back to face their partners. Sinbad and Maeve clasped each other's right shoulder with their right hand and clasped their left hands between their bodies and together twirled around in quick circles for twice eight seconds and then Sinbad smoothly moved them into parade formation so they could walk another eight seconds. But he wanted to impress her with his recently attained dancing skills so Sinbad twirled Maeve two times while they were walking, just because he could and then they were back into the circle, with Maeve on his left hand this time and a new stranger on his right. He already missed her, so resolved to have Maeve teach him the next dance- she'd probably get a kick out of it too.

The next dance was a scottish (one and two, one and two, one, two, three four,) but Maeve was already engaged so Sinbad found another to teach him this dance. A little jealously he watched experienced dancers put all kinds of variations into their moves while he could barely keep the basics straight.

Another dance was starting so he rushed to Maeve to try and get a dance in with her only to find out the next dance was a hanterdro, which was danced in a long line, so still no chance to hold her in his arms and dance the night away with her. He could still hold her hand though, her elbow folded under his, just as his own left arm was folded under the next person's. He learnt the steps just by watching what the others were doing and soon was having a great time seeing what the leader was doing with the line- namely putting it into all kinds of impossible to get out of spots and then finding a way to get out of it anyway, even if it crammed everyone far too close together.

He held onto Maeve's hand so no one could steal her away for the next dance. The musicians announced a bourrée and quickly partners stood opposite each other in two long lines. Maeve quickly explained the steps but Sinbad didn't really get it. He was chagrined to find that there was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, and even more twirling around but no physical contact at all. His disappointment did not make him a better dancer at all; he missed half the steps and missed-timed the other half. Maeve was so not happy with him. At the end of the bourrée she happily accepted Firouz's hand for the next and Sinbad wanted to slap himself when another mazourka started up.

Sinbad learned half a dozen other dances that night but never managed to catch Maeve for more than another circle dance or line dance. Still, he tried hard to learn as best he could, not knowing what the last was going to be, he wanted to be his best for her… this time at least.

It was full-mooned night, the stars were blotted out by the light of the moon and Sinbad felt like he could dance forever- just as soon as his feet stopped aching. The Andro they'd been dancing ended and the musicians announced their last dance. It was the same as Sinbad's first: a mazourka. A slow, beautiful dance. Just perfect to end the night with.

Without even asking Maeve insinuated herself into his arms. Now confident in his skills as a dancer he led her into the dance.

"What do you think Bryn and Doubar are up to right now?" Maeve asked, a soft smile on her lips and in her eyes as she tried to distract herself from how incredibly in love she was with the man she was dancing so intimately with.

"They're probably enjoying their night as much as we are enjoying ours," Sinbad said. "Did you have a good night?" He asked, just to make sure.

Maeve nodded. "But I like this part the most."

Sinbad rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, trusting the other couples not to dance into their little slice of stillness. Their movements were slow and small until they were barely moving at all, but still, somehow dancing. They failed to notice the music changing, the musicians now playing a dreamlike line-dance by way of encore. They didn't even see the line circling around them in tighter and tighter concentric circles. They just danced in their own little bubble. Sinbad had placed their clasped hands over his heart, in a wordless message of what he could not say- not yet, but could feel and felt in ways he had never felt before.


	27. Ch 27 TiaKisu

**The Courting of Bryn - Ch 27**

Merry music filled the air, surrounding dancers as well as watchers while the hours faded and night grew old.

In the warm light of torches and candles women and men alike moved to the rhythms that the musicians played, following their lead with happiness and paying no thought to yesterday or tomorrow – living for the moment and their love and nothing else.

A bit further from the crowd the Nomad's first mate sat in the soft grass, pale blue gaze focused on his little brother and the Celtic Lass, one arm lazily draped about his left knee while his upper body leant against the sturdy trunk of an old but beautiful oak.  
With a small smile grazing his lips, Doubar watched the pair how they danced – her and him joining the long line of couples who indulged in the variety of songs that travelled the golden dark.

Although Sinbad had never been too good a dancer, he did fairly well considering he knew none of steps that were needed this night, keeping up with the others and namely Maeve with a certain sense of determination that Doubar had often admired the younger one for.  
When Sinbad wanted something he usually knew how to get it, and tonight it seemed that what he really wanted was to get a special dance with the one woman who managed to drive him mad in less than a second but who he could never quite be truly angry with.

"You think that if I tell them just how cute they are together, that they would keelhaul me?"

Bryn's voice suddenly came from beside him, her warmth invading his personal space as she lowered herself to sit right next to him, a couple of fresh grapes in her hand.

Her velvet eyes shifted to lie on Doubar for a moment, her gaze open and amused. All the scheming she and the first mate had lately done seemed to have worked out at last, even when their latest try had - much to their dismay - been blown. Not that Bryn did mind that though for somehow this failed set-up had made Maeve and her realize that they were not just friends anymore, but that in a way they were sisters. And the young brunette still felt the multitude of butterflies that flip-flopped around in her belly at that thought, because it reminded her of that while right now the term did rather describe a close friendship, it soon could also mean they were family in law. And it was that which had her features light up while, at the same time, a slight flush conquered her cheeks.  
Doubar had not yet given any signs of asking her anytime soon but the whole ship almost burst with rumours about when he would finally propose to her, and while at first this prospect had made her be more than just nervous she now felt she knew the answer if ever he would ask.

Shaking her head slightly, freeing her mind of her musings, she lowered her gaze, offering Doubar some of the grapes while she hid her face in the shadows of the night.

"Maeve might", she eventually heard him reply, a mute chuckle accompanying his words, "You know what she's like when it's about her and my little brother. "

He turned slightly and took a fruit, his warm and rough skin brushing against her soft one, the small contact sending the loveliest kind of shiver to run down his spine.  
For a second he halted in his move, his gaze shifting to lie on her alone.  
In the gentle flicker of the flames her hair shimmered with a rich brown colour, her skin acquiring an almost ethereal glow. She didn't look at him, her features concealed by the dark, and yet he believed to see her blush, the rosy hue just adding to how incredibly beautiful she was in his eyes.  
Briefly he wondered what might have been the reason for this sweetest reddening of her cheeks, but eventually he decided against asking her, opting for not letting on about it instead.

"But then again", he continued while tilting his head again so that he could watch the merry crowd, "She's got a soft spot for you. Before she'd do anything to you, she'd first turn Sinbad into a toad just because he got her into this."

A broad grin then lightened his features as he hinted at how the relationship between the two sorceresses had moved to a new level, something he was more grateful for than he could have ever imagined.  
He knew just too well how Bryn yearned to have a family, how she longed to experience what was normal for almost everyone else but what she was not blessed to have.  
When she had told him about Maeve playing dress-up with her earlier tonight, Bryn's eyes had sparkled in a way he had never seen before and it warmed him to the core to know that the woman he regarded to be a younger sister and the one he loved had found a confidant in each other – someone who they could trust with things that maybe he or Sinbad weren't the right ones to share them with.

"You really think so?"

Her voice reached him as a whisper, the question bearing no trace of uncertainty – just the wish to hear what deep inside she knew herself already.

"If it weren't for Maeve liking us, you and I, we would both be hopping around in the grass already, being green and slimy and generally all toad-y."

Doubar released a little snort as he spoke, earning a chuckle from Bryn.

"But actually I think you would make for a very adorable toad", she then quipped, clearly amused by the mental image.

"Why thank you, that's good to know", Doubar puffed, unsure of whether to take this as a compliment or an insult but rather opting for the first one.  
Nevertheless, he didn't much favour picturing himself being turned into such a little creature and thus he quickly stirred their conversation back to their previous topic.

"So", he started, his tone a little more thoughtful now, "You think we can take any credit for the two of them daring to enjoy each other's company like that?"  
With his head he vaguely nodded towards the Celt and their captain who were both wearing large smiles on their faces.

"Honestly?", Bryn replied, shrugging almost unnoticeably against him, "They'd probably made it just as far without us. But I like to imagine that our scheming helped. Plus…" And suddenly she looked up at him, leaning forwards slightly so that her eyes were illuminated by the surrounding torches and almost glowing with a deep sense of mirth that Doubar couldn't help but just adore about her.  
"It was a lot more fun this way, so … in the end what does it matter? We all did get something out of this: Maeve and Sinbad got to dance, the crew got to gossip and I…" her eyes fluttered shut for a split second, a warm smile now settling on her lips, "got to spend more time with you."

When she looked up again, she noticed Doubar's gaze lie on her. There was an expression in it that she couldn't quite decipher but it made her feel all special and cherished.

"Scheming was fun, wasn't it?", the first mate's deep voice then travelled the little distance. If Bryn didn't know better he seemed a little melancholic, just as if in the wake of this night things would change, and just maybe he was right she mused.  
Maybe they would change indeed.

"You know what I'd like to do now?", she suddenly spoke, sneaking her left hand around his knee to seek his right one.  
At first sight, the question seemed to be completely unconnected to what they had just talked about, but Doubar instantly knew that there was a reason to why she asked.

He shook his head gently, waiting for her to go on. But instead she rose from her spot, tugging at his hand gently until he followed her lead and got up as well.  
Questioning pale blue eyes looked at velvet brown ones before Bryn turned away from the merry dancing, motioning for him to leave the crowd together with her.

They walked a couple of steps, silence suddenly between them when the first mate cleared his throat quietly, slowing down his pace until the brunette tilted her head towards him, a serene expression on her face.

And then he knew.

The day before she had told him that she wanted to go to the fountain with him - that she wanted to drink from it with him. Now, in the secluded calm of a night that was spent dancing by the young and the old alike, she wanted to fulfill this and he couldn't be any happier to comply.

Nodding wordlessly at her he gave her hand a tender squeeze before he set himself into motion, walking now next to her instead of slightly behind.

Together they crossed the outer rim of the clearing and went down the green slopes until the music slowly faded and was replaced by the soft whispers of the wind… as well as the gentle lapping of the fountain waters…


	28. Ch 28 MJDai

As soon as she popped her head out on deck Bryn heard her name called. They'd set sail on the morning tide and because she'd not gotten much sleep last night Bryn had opted to nap in her quarters rather than watch the shore of the isle fade in the distance. They'd made some very special memories on that isle she thought dreamily. She looked around for who'd called her and saw Maeve sitting on the steps of the deck waving her over.

"Come sit here," Maeve said, indicating a the spot on the lower step between her knees.

"What for?" Bryn asked, because with sorcerer's apprentices and inventors in your immediate circle of friends, you learned to ask that question.

Maeve held up a comb. "Sit and get the worst tangles out of your hair," she ordered.

"You're not going to set my hair on fire are you?" Bryn asked, while she dutifully combed her already smooth hair after removing her hairband.

"Of course not, I'm going to de-louse you," Maeve said, holding up another comb, this one with very fine prongs. "My mother did the whole family once a month, until… until I took over."

"I don't have lice," Bryn pointed out, but sat down where Maeve had indicated.

"I know," Maeve said, loosely running her hands through Bryn's hair before separating a lock and carefully combing it out.

Bryn felt her friend's hands dance over her scalp, gently tugging on the strands, and was surprised at how good it felt to have someone fiddling with your hair. Her breathing deepened and she felt her eyes fluttering to a close as her whole body relaxed under Maeve's caring ministrations.

"Did Doubar put you up to this too?" Bryn asked, because basically everything good that had happened in her life lately seemed to have been orchestrated by her beau.

Maeve's hands stilled momentarily. "We have been tricking you a lot lately haven't we?" She asked. "But no, this one is all me. I was thinking about things family does for each other and this… well I always loved it. I… when my mother… Well my hair isn't exactly easy to handle, it tangles when you just look at it funny, but when my mother took the comb to me she was always gentle even if that meant it took a lot longer. I always felt really loved and cared for… And when I did it to others, I always tried to give them the same feeling you know?"

Bryn's eyes filled with tears as she took it all in. Maeve never talked about her past, and now she did it voluntarily and she included Bryn in it and it just… It was overwhelming and beautiful.

"Thank you I can't even…. It means so much. You really cannot do a better job of making me feel loved and cared for right now," Bryn said, her voice thick with emotion.

"Well good," Maeve muttered, trying to get her own composure back, sort of relieved that she couldn't look Bryn in the eye right now, not with the ghosts of her past so close to the forefront.

Dermott flew down and perched on the overturned longboat just above the two sorceresses.

"Welcome to the family Bryn," he telepathically told her, sending a wave of his own warm feelings for her and for his sister along. "If Doubar ever hassles you, you come to me, you hear?" He added.

Very touched by his sentiment Bryn felt a fresh wave of tears assuage her eyes only to giggle at his last words. "Thank you my feathered friend, but I believe Doubar would sooner cut off his own hands than hurt me," she telepathically told him.

"Though I'd like to see how Dermott would take on Doubar," Maeve added in their minds.

"Don't challenge him," Bryn admonished, feeling very protective of Doubar for some reason.

"Oi, what are you two crying about?" Sinbad plonked himself down beside Maeve on the steps. "I can't have my crew be crying like a couple of girls! Even if you are girls," he said.

Maeve poked him with the comb, eliciting a yelp from the captain who quickly made some room between himself and his flamehaired secret girlfriend.

"These are happy tears you idiot! And you are ruining a very special moment!" Maeve protested his invasion.

"Doubar! Maeve made your girl cry, what shall I do with her?" Sinbad called across the deck, ignoring Maeve's words.

Doubar looked over at the scene and saw Bryn roll her eyes and shake her head, signal enough for him to stay out of it.

When he saw his brother was not about to join in on the fun Sinbad turned to Maeve again. "I think I might have to spank you," he said, just to get a reaction out of her.

"Do that and I'll hex the mast into spanking you every time you set foot on deck," Bryn threatened.

Sinbad's eyes widened, he had expected a threat along those lines but he had not expected it to come from Bryn!

"And I'll burn your butt so bad you'll be sitting on blisters for weeks," Maeve added, not to be outdone.

"Hey, I'm trying to protect my future sister-in-law here," Sinbad retorted.

"I'm protecting my sister-in-sorcery here," Bryn shot right back, sending a challenging look to Sinbad. She considered herself to be a serene and level-headed person, but no one touched her family.

Sinbad's thought quickly on how he might turn this situation to his advantage but could came up empty so he threw up his hands and flashed his most disarming smile. "Well I know better than to come between a pair of sisters. Have fun crying ladies," he said, before making himself scarce.

"Stupid boy," Maeve muttered, but when Bryn angled her head up to look at Maeve's face she saw the redhead's eyes following the Captain across the ship with a winsome smile on her lips.

"Sure he is," she patted Maeve's knee and flashed her a knowing smile.


End file.
